Missing Moments: The Romulan War: To Brave the Storm
by enterprisefan13
Summary: This fanfiction will follow the book series that begins with the Good that Men Do. There were a few gaps in the story, so I thought I'd try my hand at filling in these gaps. Trip and T'Pol centered, following how he ended up alive, how they got to Vulcan, and had children. I don't own Enterprise, though I wish I did.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This fanfiction will follow the book series that begins with the Good that Men Do. There were a few gaps in the story, so I thought I'd try my hand at filling in these gaps.

Chapter 1

Minister T'Pau had kept her word about attempting to find Trip, but so far her search had yielded little results. The visions T'Pol had been experiencing since his disappearance were the same as before his escape pod exploding, but she had no way of telling if these visions were simply a manifestation of merely wishful thinking. In an attempt to clear her mind and focus more clearly on these visions she mediated in her quarters during her off duty hours. A week after Trip's pod had exploded, T'Pol was beginning to believe that these visions had indeed been fabrications of her mind and that Trip was dead this time, in a much more real sense than ever before. *Archer to T'Pol*. The comm in her quarters rang suddenly, bringing T'Pol out of her meditative state. She slowly rose and pressed the button on her comm.

*Go ahead*. There was a pause, then…

*Come to my ready room, there's something we need to discuss*. Her eyebrows rose at this, but she simply responded,

*Understood*. Thoughts were swirling in her mind, and although she tried to press them down quickly, they were still threatening to overwhelm her. Her meditation had helped in clearing some of her thoughts, but as it had been cut short, not all of her thoughts were straightened. Having not much more time to speculate, she dressed herself in a blue standard issue Starfleet uniform. She looked in the mirror over her sink, forming her face into a impassive mask, to cover all the battling emotions tumbling inside of her. When she was satisfied that no one would be able to tell that she was feeling anything, she exited her quarters.

She met very few other crewmembers on her way to the ready room, which meant fewer people who might see her façade slip. It was not too long before she reached the ready room, and pressed on the door chime before backing away to a polite distance. "Come in." came Captain Archer's voice from inside. T'Pol now opened the door and attempted to step into the room, however; Captain Archer was standing in the doorway, blocking the room from T'Pol's view. Archer was attempting to squelch a grin on his face. "You got here quickly." He said. One of her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

"You told me that you had something to discuss with me. From your tone it appeared to be urgent." She responded. At this he laughed, her tone had been professional, but he knew that some irritation was hidden beneath her spoken words.

"That's right, I did say we had something to discuss." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Have you heard from Minister T'Pau, about our friend Lazarus?" T'Pol looked away from him at this question. He knew as well as she that Minister T'Pau had not contacted her in anyway, he would know because he would have been privy to such sensitive information.

"No Captain, Minister T'Pau's search has turned up unfruitful. It appears that her search was unfounded." Archer had no control over the grin that now overtook his face.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." He said. T'Pol was about to question what he meant by that statement, when he finally moved to the side and the room behind him was now in sight. There was a human male standing behind him, a shy grin on his face. Although T'Pol had never seen him before he looked familiar. She stepped closer, feeling drawn to this man.

"Trip?" she questioned, not caring or realizing that she had used such an intimate name in front of the captain. The human male nodded, a grin spreading over his face. T'Pol paused a few meters from him, and looked at the captain. "I do not understand. Minister T'Pau could not find him. That would conclude that he was killed when the escape pod exploded."

"I was just as fuzzy on the details as you are. That's what we were just discussing." Archer said, motioning to Trip. Trip nodded, steeping forward.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. I thought I was gonna blow up in that pod, in fact I thought I was a goner."

"Then how?" T'Pol was searching his face as he spoke.

"I was suddenly beamed out right before it blew. None of my sensors were working so I had no idea who'd picked me up. For a second I thought it was the Romulans. But then I saw some of the Vulcan crew standing over me. After that, I passed out. I guess all the excitement got the better of me."

"I still do not understand your human appearance."

"When I woke up, I couldn't see what I looked like at first. It wasn't until I brushed the side of my hair that I realized my ears weren't pointy like they had been." Archer smiled at that offhanded comment. "Then I was brought to a room within the ship. They wouldn't tell me who I was going to talk to, but when I got there, it was Minister T'Pau." T'Pol could barely conceal her surprise. "She debriefed me, told me she met with the Vulcan Ministry of Security. They discussed that it was best I stopped being an agent. While I had gotten the job done, it was dangerous that I remain undercover and possibly expose rumors of Vulcans spying on others."

"Then you are to return to Starfleet, to Enterprise?" And in her mind she added, _to me?_ Trip exchanged a look with Archer.

"That's the catch." Archer said. "Trip's already been declared dead in Starfleet, and again in Section 31 _._ It may have been easier to resurrect him from the dead when he was only once dead. On top of that, he can never come back from the dead officially, because he would forever have a target on his back."

"Then… what is the situation?" T'Pol questioned. His new human look could not be for nothing, she presumed.

"His human appearance will give him cover. He's been provided a background and a new name. He would live a new life under a new name. He will be able to live a life that isn't run by undercover issues or by people looking for him. He's free of all that."

"The only thing left to figure out is where to spend that whole free life I've got." Trip said, looking at T'Pol.

"I assume you will wish to spend it on Earth." T'Pol stated, refusing to look him in the eyes. Trip stepped forward to now just a few inches between them.

"You gotta stop assumin' things." He said. They looked intensely at each other for a few seconds before Archer cleared his throat. They turned to look at him, Trip's face was now bright red, while T'Pol's eyes were wide.

"I'd recommend this conversation occur in another room." Archer said in a serious tone. T'Pol straightened herself with her hands behind her back.

"You are correct Captain."

"Good. Dismissed." T'Pol nodded, and moved towards the door, glancing back at Trip as she moved. As Trip began to follow behind her, Archer put a hand on his shoulder to bring him to a stop. "I sure hope you know what you're doing Trip." Trip's eyes danced with mirth.

"Me too Cap'n." He patted Archer's hand then followed T'Pol quickly out of the door. He found her waiting next to the door, and they began walking together. An awkward silence spanned between the two of them. Although they had seen each other a few times over the last few years, this would be the longest amount of time they had spent together in years. Trip was looking around the ship as they walked. It had been years since he had been aboard, and although a lot had changed with him, some things on the ship hadn't changed at all. "I see not much has changed around here." He commented, as they passed the mess hall. T'Pol did not respond, only lifted an eyebrow. A group passed them as they continued towards T'Pol's room. The group included Hoshi and Malcom, who did no more than glance at him before continuing on their way. Trip sighed. "Well, some stuff has changed." At this T'Pol turned towards him.

"Things have changed in more than one way." She answered briefly. Although she didn't say it, Trip knew what she meant. Their relationship had changed since his stint in the undercover business. Now that he wasn't allowed to ever "come back to life", he didn't know what that would mean for their relationship.

"You've got that right." He muttered. She turned around again and continued on her way to her quarters. Once there, she opened her door, and waited for Trip to enter. He shook his head and gestured for her to enter. "Ladies first." He insisted. She complied, knowing that he would simply refuse to enter until she had done so. He followed behind her shortly, then closed her door behind them. T'Pol had a better chance to look at him now. His new look was not too dissimilar from how he really looked. His eyes were once again blue, his hair was dirty blonde, and his ears now were rounded again. His features were only dissimilar from his real looks enough to not raise suspicion. T'Pol had always assumed that once his mission was over he would return to _Enterprise_ as their chief engineer. Now there was no chance of that occurring. She turned away from him, and faced her computer monitor.

"You will return to Earth?" She asked again, not knowing the answer but needing to ask. She didn't get a response so she turned around to look at Trip. He was looking back at her.

"And do what?" he asked. "Live on the same planet with my family and never be able to tell them I'm alive? See my nephew grow up, and never be able to tell him I'm Uncle Trip?" He sat on her bed with a loud plop, and put his face in his hands. T'Pol hesitated for only a moment before sitting down next to him. He took his face out his hands. "And what about you? You would still be on _Enterprise_ exploring the universe while I'm on Earth alone?" he questioned.

"No… you are my mate." Trip looked quickly at her, his eyes almost hardening. "I have… attempted to deny that this bond is more than an inconvenience for a long time, however; I have accepted what it truly means."

"And what is that?" Trip asked, sounding almost frightened.

"That we are mates. However illogical it seems for a human and a Vulcan to have a relationship, it appears that we… have formed a lasting union." T'Pol hesitated before placing her hand on Trip's thigh. He looked surprised before placing his hand on top of hers.

"What does that mean for us?" He questioned.

"That whatever choice you make, we make together." T'Pol replied, seeing tears beginning to form in the corners of Trip's eyes.

A/N: This is the first installment of this fanfiction. Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You sure 'bout this?" Trip asked for the millionth time that day. T'Pol looked up from her packing to glare at him.

"You believe there will be a different answer every time you ask?" She replied before returning to her packing. She did not have many personal effects in her quarters as it was, and she had been attempting to pack for a few days. Trip ran a hand through his hair.

"Just makin' sure." He sighed, sitting down next to her duffle bag. _Enterprise_ was headed to Vulcan, to drop off their former science officer, and a human refugee they had taken in. Trip flipped open his new ID. "Michael Kenmore, that's my new name." He glanced at T'Pol who was still packing. "At least it's a name I'll know how to spell." T'Pol turned to go to her desk to grab something.

"I suspect it will take some time for you to become accustomed to that name. It may make it easier for you if those closer to you call you by that name." Trip got off her bed to join her at her desk, he looked over her shoulder to see what she was packing. It was a few candles for her meditation.

"Are you saying you're gonna call me Mike?" he asked, turning just his face to look at her. She turned her head slightly as well.

"If that is what is required in order for you to learn your new name." Her tone was underplayed with concern. If his new name and identity were not believable then he would be in great danger. Trip placed his hand on her arm, in an attempt to assuage her concerns.

"How 'bout when we're in private, you call me Trip, and in public you call me Mr. Kenmore or Michael?" T'Pol cocked her head to the side, considering this option. After a moment, she nodded, which caused Trip to grin.

"That seems agreeable." _Oh, agreeable, huh?_ He thought, focusing on her lips which were oh so close to his. Just as he was leaning in, T'Pol's comm went off. *Archer to T'Pol*. Trip and T'Pol stared at each other for a few moments more, then *T'Pol, come in*. She made her way over her comm and pressed it.

*Go ahead*.

*I need to see you in my ready room. Bring Trip with you*.

*Acknowledged*. Trip smirked at the look on T'Pol's face. It wasn't exactly a secret that he was staying in her quarters. While the general crew were not privy to Trip's identity, or that he was staying in her quarters, the Captain, as well as Phlox and Reed were well aware of where he was staying. They had offered him quarters of his own, which he accepted to keep up appearances, and to keep suspicion off of T'Pol. However; he didn't spend any time in those quarters. He would head to those quarters at night and then would head to T'Pol's when it was late enough no crew would see.

"We should get going, Cap'n's waiting." T'Pol inclined her head in acknowledgment. He followed her slowly out of her door not attempting at all to hide his grin.

When they arrived at the captain's ready room, he was waiting for them. "Come in." his voice rang through the door. He was standing over his chair, holding onto the back of it. He looked up as they entered and then stood next to each other. "We're about twelve hours from Vulcan." He looked between them. "Still enough time to change your minds. I wouldn't mind keeping you as a science officer T'Pol, and having you be my chief engineer, Trip."  
"I think you mean Michael, don't cha Cap'n?" Trip said, grinning at his old friend. Archer waved aside his comment.

"To me, you'll always be Trip. Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He questioned. Trip and T'Pol exchanged a glance.

"At the moment, it appears to be the only option." T'Pol supplied. Archer shook his head, and sat down.

"I've told you two, Trip can become a member of Starfleet again, or maybe he could just be a crewmember. You could stay on as my science officer T'Pol. And no one would have to know about…" he paused, then waggled his head back and forth, "well, know about you two." They glanced away from each other.

"The risk is too great. He could be discovered, which would not only pose a risk to him, but also to the entire crew." T'Pol supplied, before looking back at Archer.

"And anyway, I don't wanna go through all the training again anyway… by the time I reached Commander again, this ship will be long decommissioned." Archer had to concede this point, not that he wanted to, but Trip had a point. He couldn't imagine going through all the training again, just to regain the same position, and to not be able to serve with the same people.

"Why can't you just stay aboard T'Pol, and Trip can live on Earth for a few years." Trip shook his head.

"Sorry Cap'n. We've already discussed that option and ruled it out." Archer lifted his hands in frustration.

"Why?" T'Pol lifted her chin.

"It is personal." Trip gave Archer a look that clearly said _don't push it._ He sighed.

"I knew that was going to be the answer, but I had to check." He said. He looked at the two officers in front of them. He remembered the first time they met. T'Pol wouldn't even shake Trip's hand, and here they were heading to Vulcan together. And Trip, he had grown so much since the first mission. He understood respecting other cultures and practices, and put himself in harm's way to protect others. It had taken Archer longer than others to realize that they were together, but he saw clearly why they were. The pair in front of him now were communicating without speaking, thinking that he didn't see that. Over the years they had brought the best out of each other. He didn't doubt they would continue to do so for years to come. "I will let you know when we are closer to Vulcan. As of now, you're dismissed."

"See you in a bit Cap'n." Trip said, before leaving. T'Pol waited for him outside of the ready room. "You think this cover story T'Pau came up with will work on Vulcan? Won't be a little strange to have a human living alone with a Vulcan woman?" T'Pol had an answer at the ready.

"Minister T'Pau thought of an adequate reason for us to be alone in my home. You will pose as my gardener, now that my old gardener has left that business." She began walking, at a slow pace, headed towards the mess hall. Trip scratched his chin.

"That still won't explain why we're gonna be alone at your home."

"There's a guest home for the gardener to stay at. That is where they presume you will be staying." Trip grinned.

"Is that where I will be staying?" He asked, catching up to T'Pol.

"That remains to be seen." She replied, not looking at him. This caused him to grin even more, and he leaned down close to whisper in her ear.

"I thought Vulcans didn't joke." He didn't get a reply, but he could see that her eyes had gained a little bit of sparkle. "Some of my humor had definitely rubbed off on you." He muttered. She cast him a quick look of caution, as they were surrounded by a mass of people who were not privy to this information. He said no more, but did think that he would have to bring it up at another point.

The few hours between their lunch and arriving at Vulcan went by quickly. T'Pol had advised Trip on how to act when they first arrived. And although she strongly suggested she should do all the talking, he refused, saying that would look suspicious. They met the captain in the launch bay, where a transport sent by T'Pau docked. Archer was alone when they met up with him. He stood professionally when they came in. Each only carried a single duffle bag. "Traveling light?" He asked.

"We've learned to travel light Cap'n." Trip answered for the both of them. Archer stared at the pair of them. This could very well be the last time he saw either of them for a long time, if ever. Sensing this, Trip added, "we'll see you soon, promise." Abandoning all sense of formality he pulled Trip into a hug. Then clapped each other on the back. Then releasing him, he turned to T'Pol and pulled her in for a similar hug. He didn't care that she didn't like that kind of display of affection, or being touched. He pulled away and saw that she didn't look completely comfortable, but not uncomfortable either. He looked at her and then at Trip.

"Stay safe." Trip stepped closer to T'Pol.

"That's the plan." He said. The air lock between the two ships was sealed, so Archer stepped away from T'Pol and retook his professional posture. Trip stepped away from T'Pol, though not too far. The airlock door opened and a Vulcan man stepped through. He made the live long and prosper hand symbol to Archer who returned it.

"These are the passengers?" He asked, briefly glancing at Trip and T'Pol. Archer nodded, and motioned for them to move forward. They did so.

"Thanks for taking them. I know it was out of the blue."

"Showing appreciation is an Earth custom." Archer nodded absentmindedly. "Have you already exchanged pleasantries?" The Vulcan asked. All three nodded. "Then we must make for Vulcan now." He turned around and made his way through the air lock, not looking backwards to check if the pair were following. Trip stopped in front of Archer.

"Keep my engine in good shape Cap'n." Archer smiled.

"You bet'cha." Trip jogged slightly to catch up and then the air lock closed behind him. Archer watched until the Vulcan ship began to depart. "I hope they're going to be alright." He thought to himself. He walked away to the turbolift. His duties didn't end with saying goodbye to his close friends. He just wished that he would know if they would be okay.

A/N: I see people having been seeing this story, but haven't reviewed. Please do, because I have lots of plots running through my head! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for all the support! Keep it coming!

Chapter 3

Once the seal was broken between the two ships, the Vulcan shuttle made its way down to the surface quickly. The Vulcan male who escorted the pair did not talk to either T'Pol or Trip, but did glance at them in what Trip could only assume was curiosity. Although the attempted not provide ample space between the two of them it was still apparent that there was something between the two. T'Pol's face was giving away no trace of her feelings, but Trip was picking up slight anxiety that he knew was not his own. He glanced at her quickly, and saw that she was staring at a particular spot on the floor quite intensely.

"We're approaching the landing site." The Vulcan pilot said suddenly. T'Pol looked up quickly from the spot on the floor, and exchanged a quick look with Trip. The shuttle landed a lot more gracefully than Trip was expecting, but then again, they had the same warp ring drive that most of Vulcan's starships had. The shuttle didn't just have the dinky impulse that Earth's shuttles had. Once the shuttle had come to a complete stop, they were ushered out of the shuttle. T'Pol held up her hand in the traditional hand gesture, the Vulcan male responded in kind, and then reentered the vessel, leaving Trip and T'Pol alone outside of it. Although many people were milling around, none were close enough to see Trip lean in and whisper in T'Pol's ear,

"Now what?" T'Pol slung her duffle bag farther up her arm and motioned for him to follow. She was walking at such a fast pace that he almost had to job to keep up. "Where are you goin?" he nearly yelled, as he was beginning to run out of breath. T'Pol turned suddenly, causing him to almost run into her.

"I am simply attempting to navigate through the mass of people so we may obtain transport." She turned again quickly and resumed her previous.

"Oh." He jogged again to keep up with her, and when he reached her, kept an even pace. While she looking only straight in front of her, he was looking around the many landing bases. There was an array of people, including species he had never seen before. There were several humans, both getting on and off of shuttles. Those getting on the shuttles looked sunburned and exhausted. He wondered how long they had been on Vulcan to get them to that state. He motioned towards some humans getting on one of the transports, "wonder how long they'd been on Vulcan. Looks like they're beat." T'Pol followed where he was pointing, then looked away again.

"Humans are not suited for Vulcan's environment. It was likely too warm for them here. They possibly were only here for several days before succumbing." Trip blanched at this remark. He was planning on staying on Vulcan for several years, if humans couldn't master staying on Vulcan for a few days, then he was likely screwed.

"You mean I can't stay here for more than a few days?"

"On the contrary, you stayed at my mother's home for several weeks." Trip rolled his eyes at this. He was disguised as a Vulcan male, and had been living with two other Vulcans at the time. He wasn't sure that he would have made it without the guidance of his two friends.

"That was different." If T'Pol had been human, he knew she would have rolled her eyes. They finally maneuvered their way out of the busy shuttle area, and looked around for a transport. Trip figured that it wasn't probably like on Earth where a transport was hailed down. Vulcans were too "classy" for such an act. He was correct, they stood silently holding their duffle bags in front of them waiting for a transport.

"I believe that with proper instruction, you should be able to live on Vulcan for a substantial amount of time." T'Pol said, picking up their conversation from where it had ended.

"Proper instruction from whom?" He began, the corners of his mouth began to lift. Before he could continue, a transport pulled up in front them. Their ride was here, he supposed. They lifted the back of the transport and put their belongings there. Then they got in the transport. T'Pol told the driver where to go. He couldn't help but remember the last time T'Pol took a transport. He was supposed to go with her, but had realized he couldn't abandon a mission he needed to see through. He wondered if the driver of that transport had seen T'Pol lay one on him like that. A chuckle escaped before he could contain it. Although she didn't say anything, the way her gaze lingered on his face was enough proof to him that she was remembering her last transport ride as well. He wished he could gather her into his arm and reassure her that this time she wasn't going anywhere without him. But that would be inappropriate in front of the driver, and besides, it might blow his cover. He settled for casting a wide grin in her direction, while playing the scene over in his head. He didn't know if she could see or sense it, but a sense of content settled over him, which he couldn't help but think was coming from her. They came to a gentle stop outside of T'Pol's house. As she was paying the driver, he was getting the luggage out of the trunk. Then, the transport was gone, and they were alone outside of the house. Trip felt some trepidation; he hadn't seen this house in years. And it would be the first time they'd ever been alone in it before. He reached for T'Pol's hand, and surprisingly she let him take it. Then he led her to the door and put in the codes. Together they pushed open the door.

It was a tad dusty, and dark, but as Trip's eyes began to adjust, he could tell not much else had changed. He would later check on the garden, to see if all his hard work had been for naught. T'Pol was looking around as well, soaking in her home. "So, what'cha think?" Trip asked, dropping her hand to motion to the whole house. T'Pol continued to simply stare. "Look like how you remember it?" She hesitated, and then nodded.

"Yes. It is… difficult to imagine my mother not being here…" Ah, that was it. Although T'Pol liked to act that she was over her mother's death, Trip knew she wasn't. It's one thing to lose a parent, it's another to have her die in your arms. "I believed it would become easier, over time, to deal with her death. However; it appears that assessment was incorrect." He remembered telling her it would get better over time. He was sure that it did, but still, being in your house, when it used to be your mom's, couldn't have been easy. He stepped closer to her.

"Hey, it's alright. I know it can't be easy, owning this house when it used to be your mom's. If you wanna talk about it…" T'Pol shook her head, and hoisted her bag tighter around her shoulder.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I would not like to discuss it right now." Trip put his hands up to say, _alright._ T'Pol nodded and then walked in the direction of the main bedroom. He picked up his bag and followed. He had stayed with her in that room the last time they had been here together, and had stayed in the room after she left. The door was still opened a little and T'Pol opened it. He followed in shortly after she did. She placed her bag on the floor next to the bed, and then sat on the bed. He waited for a moment and then did the same. Her hands were in her lap, not moving. They sat next to each other, not moving. The first time they had been alone in this room, they had engaged in intimate connections, not only physically, but almost mentally. It was probably the first time they realized they could no longer deny how serious of a connection they had. And they no longer wanted to deny the connection. That seemed like a life time ago, and yet, the bond they could both feel was proof of it.

"So… should I move my stuff into that guest house?" T'Pol looked at him sharply. "What? You haven't said anything 'bout it in a while."

"I told you, we are mates." She replied curtly. Trip could feel his tempature rising, although he couldn't exactly explain why. He jumped off the bed suddenly, his temper rising.

"And I told 'ya that I didn't know what that means! 'mate?' We aren't dogs T'Pol!" T'Pol also rose, her anger held back by her controls, but he could tell he was getting a rise out of her.

"I did not suggest we were animals. Perhaps if you looked in the Vulcan database, our mating rituals would dispel any misconceptions." She replied coolly. Trip was beginning to smirk, they were bickering, like the good ole times.

"Well maybe if you were just upfront, then I wouldn't be so damn confused!" T'Pol suddenly looked deflated, and Trip realized that he had said the wrong thing. "T'Pol…" he reached for her, but she flinched away from his gesture. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"You did not offend me." She said stiffly, turning away from him. He reached for her shoulder, to turn her back around.

"Horse apples I didn't." she still refused to look at him. He sighed. "Look, for me, mating is what animals do. I know it's not what 'ya mean, but I can't shake the thought of that." T'Pol seemed to steady herself, then said,

"On Vulcan, a mate is what humans call "husband or wife." The marriage ceremony, such as the one that took place between myself and Koss creates a telepathic bond, and makes the pair mates." Trip looked a little confused.

"Okay… so mates are like husband and wife. We didn't go through a ceremony though." T'Pol nodded.

"That is correct. However, because the bond exists, we are considered mates." Trip looked shocked.

"Then you and I…. are basically like husband and wife." T'Pol nodded in the confirmative. "I'll be damned." He sat on the bed and pulled his hand over his mouth. "Do we have to go through a ceremony or something?" T'Pol sat down gently next to him and turned towards him.

"That would be difficult, considering you are deceased." Trip grinned. "It may prove difficult to explain how the bond still exists with a man that is dead. According to the Syrrannite tradition we are considered married. No ceremony must take place." 

"But no one will know we're married." He said quietly. That would mean that other men may try to become T'Pol's mate, especially now that she was back on Vulcan.

"That is correct. However; you and I will know." He smiled. "When my time for pon farr arrives, men may try to become my mate. Of course I will refuse them. However; we must come up with an answer for how I survive." Trip shrugged.

"We'll figure that out later." He looked closely at T'Pol. "Your parents had a bond like ours." She nodded. "Well then at least I've got somethin' in comm'n with your mom." He chuckled while he was reaching for his bag still on the floor. T'Pol's eyes widened. "So, where's that guest house, you know for the gardener?" She stiffened.

"I believe we just discussed where you would be staying." Trip raised his eyebrows.

"We did?" Before he could say more than that, his arms were suddenly full or T'Pol, whose lips found his. _I could get used to this._ He thought, before losing himself in the moment.

A/N: So, tell me what you think! I promise much more to come. I had an idea of a story floating around for so long, and it's just pouring out. So let me know if you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Reviews have slowed, and I'm hoping people are still liking this! If you are, please let me know!

Chapter 4

Trip rolled over, smiling to himself when he felt the presence of another body. He opened his eyes slightly. T'Pol was facing away from him, but her body was tucked into his, in what humans' call "the little spoon." Before joining the spy business, he would never have guessed that Vulcans cuddled, but that was probably because he wasn't privy the private lives their species. As though sensing his thoughts, he saw T'Pol stirring, and he ran a hand down her side. She slowly rolled over to face him, her eyes still containing a hint of sleepiness. That look did not last long however, as she took in his grin. She did not pull away from his embrace. Although they had lived together in T'Pol's home for a month now, Trip was still drinking in waking up this way. The last time they had been at her home, they had three weeks together, and even then he was still tangled up in the spy business. This time, there was no business that would pull them apart. "'Mornin." He said, his grin growing even wider.

"Good morning to you as well." She answered, and began pushing herself into a seated position. Trip also pushed himself up so that he was seated upright as well. He saw T'Pol take a deep breath and braced himself for whatever she was about to say. "The Vulcan High Command has attempted to persuade me to regain my commission." Trip frowned. This wasn't the first they had gotten in contact with her since she had been back.

"What'cha tell them?" she didn't answer, but her hands were wringing again in her lap, which was a sign of nervousness she'd picked up from him. "You didn't tell them yes, did 'ya?!" He was starting to get steamed; they'd just gotten to be with each other again, and he couldn't believe he could be losing her so soon.

"I told them that I would consider the offer, nothing more." She did not look at him, knowing that doing so would open emotional channels between them. As it was, she could feel his anger through their bond.

"You told them you'd consider it?!" He pulled the sheets off of his legs and jumped out of the bed. "They could place you anywhere! You could be put back on Earth, or another space ship!" He ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly, "And God knows how long it could be before we'd see each other again!" T'Pol's eyes widened, as she too exited the bed, albeit in a more graceful fashion than he did.

"Do you think that I have not considered the repercussions?" He huffed angrily. "I have. We both know that to keep up appearances, I will need to appear in public." Trip couldn't contain a chuckle at this, and lowered his arms slightly. They had been spending A LOT of time at her house. He did work on the garden; it was overgrown slightly, but there were some signs of hope that it would live up to its former glory. But most of his time had been spent with T'Pol, making up for lost time.

"I know that." He sighed. "but could 'ya, I don' know, stay on the same planet with me for once?" T'Pol tilted her head, considering his offer.

"There is the possibility of becoming an instructor at the Vulcan Science Academy."

"That place your mom worked at?" T'Pol nodded.

"I am a skilled scientist, and my connections with the High Command may well have influence on the probability of becoming an instructor." Trip walked closer to her, dreading what he was about to ask.

"What about Koss? Doesn't his family have a lot of influence in this kinda stuff?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Trip, you know as well as I do that I have no connection with Koss any longer. It is doubtful that he would exercise any of his influence."

"Cause… you chose me, right?" Trip teased. Internally he could sense T'Pol's amusement, but she didn't let any show. She was right, he knew. She needed a job on Vulcan, cause if she doesn't have a job, that would make it difficult to explain how she was paying a gardener. And besides, she was a big name, especially after the Romulan war. It would look suspicious if she simply dropped off the face of the universe. "Look… I'm sorry I yelled at 'ya. It's just that we're just gettin used to being in the same sector, let alone planet, and I don't wanna lose you again."

"That is a reasonable complaint. I will attempt to contact the Vulcan Science Academy."

"Thank you."

T'Pol did as she promised. While at first it seemed the answer would take time to come, just a day later they confirmed an opening in their faculty. Although pleased with the turn of events, T'Pol could not deny that there seemed to be some underlying reason why they responded so quickly. "When we spoke, you seemed certain that it may take some time to evaluate my qualifications." She said.

"That is correct."

"How is it then that you responded so quickly." The Vulcan on the other side hesitated, before masking their emotions once again.

"The only answer that I can supply is that you have colleagues in high places with influence. I will contact you again with the specifics." Then the screen went black. Trip, who had been just out of sight during the call, moved to behind T'Pol.

"Koss. I knew it."

"There is no indication that Koss had anything to do with the swift reply." Trip rolled his eyes.

"It's him, I'm tell'in 'ya. Now that I'm 'dead', he thinks he's got a shot again." He leaned up against the wall. "Well, what'cha goin to say to 'him?" T'Pol raised an eyebrow at him. "What? He can't just give you a job and not expect a thank you."

"I doubt he will get one." T'Pol answered shortly. It would be a lie to say that her saying that didn't cause some joy in Trip. Although he knew whatever was between Koss and T'Pol was long over, he would never forgive the guy for forcing her into marriage.

"I'm just sayin, be careful about him."

"I will be." They didn't speak for a long moment, facing the still black screen of the monitor. Trip sighed, and moved to grab the back of T'Pol's chair. He didn't say anything, but she could sense an anxiety about him. "I know there is something on your mind." She said shortly. Trip looked surprised at first, and then wiped his hand across his mouth.

"Right, the bond." He muttered. He didn't say anything more for a moment. T'Pol gave him a look that seemed to look right through him. He sighed again. "I just… wish I could go out and get a job like you have." He took a hand off the chair and motioned. "My plan with the spy business was to go back to Enterprise when it was over, and be the chief engineer again. Now… I can't even leave the house practically." T'Pol looked at him concerned. She wanted to reassure him, but she had to concede that his concerns were valid. As she opened her mouth to speak, Trip interrupted her thought pattern. "It's alright. I know ya'd help if ya could. It's just a price of this spy business."

"You are right, however; that you should leave the house." Trip looked at her in shock. "I believe that there are some tourist sites you have not visited."

"That sounds nice." They both knew that this tourist sites would only last a short time, and they were planning on years on Vulcan. However; it was a nice distraction from all the monotonous life they were currently living. "I wonder if there will be some human support groups or 'somethin." Trip wondered out loud.

"Support groups?"

"Yeah, ya know, for humans who aren't allowed to look at any of the Vulcan technology."

"I believe you may be the only human concerned with that issue." Although it didn't sound like it, Trip knew she was joking. He grinned.

"You'd be surprised. Maybe when you're workin' at the Science Academy you can let me have a peek at some of the technology." T'Pol stiffened. "I'm just kiddin'." T'Pol looked suspiciously at him. "Alright, maybe I was kinda serious. But hey, I've seen a ton of technology anyway, it isn't gonna be new to me."

"Still, it may prove dangerous to bring a human to the Academy. Your cover could be blown." Trip nodded, seemingly in thought. His eyes took on a sudden look of mischevious.

"So… for now… what do you think of revisiting those fire plains?" He said, raising his eyebrows.

T'Pol simply raised one in answer.

A/N: I know this seems random, but I wanted to have a scene about how she has a job and eventually becomes Ambassador, but how she and Trip stayed together. Anyway, let me know what you think please!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is about how they made a decision to have kids, and it just blossomed as I wrote. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Trip began to stir slowly, hearing the soft movements of the other occupant of the room. He rolled over, reaching an arm out to the other side of the bed. He found no one, as he expected, and he stayed face down for a moment more. He opened his eyes slowly, face down in the mattress, before rolling over completely. He saw the soft glow of candles in the right corner of the room, T'Pol was sitting over it, her eyes closed. This was not an unusual sight; she often woke up before he did to meditate. Trip sighed, and wiped a hand across his face. This seemed to cause T'Pol to snap out of her meditation, and she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. "Damn. Sorry." He pushed the covers off of his feet and placed his feet on the floor. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It is alright; I require only slightly more meditation." She replied. He knew from experience that he could expect her for breakfast in twenty minutes.

"Alright, I'll let you get back to it." He leaned in to give her a small morning kiss, but she turned her head and he kissed her cheek. He grinned. If she had done that to him a few years ago, he would have thought she was shutting him down. Now, he knew that she believed a small kiss would lead to a bigger kiss… and well… you know. It had become a ritual in the morning, for him to attempt, and her to resist. "See you in a few." He said with a touch of teasing. He pushed open their door, and meandered to the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head. The time was 0630. He got his usual morning coffee, and some breakfast food. A few minutes after he sat down, T'Pol entered the room, her tea already waiting for her at her place at the table. She nodded her thanks before sitting down. Trip glanced quickly at T'Pol, and then down at his cup, tightening his hands around it. "So… there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He began, slowly. T'Pol raised an eyebrow, and sipped from her tea. Trip took that as a cue to continue. He gripped his cup even tighter, and looked deeply into the coffee. "Phlox called the other day. He just wanted to check in on us…" He trailed off, hoping that she would pick up on what he was saying… if she did, she didn't let on. He continued… "Um, yeah. So he said that now that the war has settled down, he's really gotten back into solving medical problems. He looked at Elizabeth's" his voice caught on the name Elizabeth, "DNA, and said he stands by what he said before, 'bout human and Vulcan DNA being compatible… he said he thinks that will take a least a year to figure out exactly, but that it won't be impossible." T'Pol set her cup down gently in front her.

"Trip…" She said softly, her eyes soft. He knew what that meant, she was trying to be gentle with him.

"Look, I've already talked with him about some of the things I knew ya'd ask about. Like, how would he come up with an excuse of why he's testing combining human and Vulcan DNA. Turns out, couples like us are more popular than we thought!" he exclaimed, now on a roll, releasing everything he wanted to tell her. "And, no one would know they were half human, cause Vulcan DNA expressive is dominant. Green blood and organs where they are in you, and pointed ears! And…"

"Trip!" T'Pol interrupted. He stopped midsentence and looked at her. "I appreciate your effort, however, you never discussed this with me. I believe I should have had some input." Trip looked down at the table.

"You're right. I guess I'll tell Dr. Phlox that we've changed our minds." T'Pol did not answer, so Trip looked up, hopeful.

"I did not say that. However, right now is not the most opportune time to discuss this. We may discuss it when I get back." Trip grinned, nodding.

"Fair deal." As T'Pol rose to leave, he reached a hand out, she paused. "Please consider it." She nodded, and then left, leaving Trip to steep in his own thoughts.

This idea of children did not come quickly to Trip. He had always wanted to be a father, but Star Fleet and being an engineer had always come first. He also never imagined himself being in love with a woman of another species, let alone a Vulcan. Getting pregnant could be difficult enough for human couples, let alone when two people had different DNA. Then there was Elizabeth, their beautiful daughter who died because her DNA wasn't synced correctly. He'd given up hope of having kids.

But now the war was over, he and T'Pol were together. Phlox said that they had a chance of having children who would survive. He never knew how badly he wanted it, until it was a possibility. He and T'Pol had never really talked about it, but he saw the way she took care of Elizabeth. She had tenderly loved her, and he knew that T'Pol would make a wonderful mom.

Then again, there could be the worry that someone would discover who he was. Their children would be half human; someone would start asking questions; the only human T'Pol really hung around was "her gardener". People might start asking questions they shouldn't ask. People would notice that they couldn't control their emotions as well as other Vulcans. And then there was the question of Pon Farr; he wasn't entirely sure what it was anyway, because Vulcans were very private people and didn't talk about it. He did know however that it was a scary time for Vulcans, and something that could potentially kill them. They would need to come up with an excuse of how she survived, and conceived a child. There could be so much go wrong with having a child… and yet… Trip was filled with exhilaration at the thought of having a child with T'Pol. He wanted it more than he ever realized. He just didn't know how T'Pol felt about it. In all honesty, he was terrified that she wouldn't want a child with him.

He attempted to distract himself with housework while T'Pol was at the Science Academy. He pruned and weeded the garden for a few hours, and then popped on the roof to check the paneling. It seemed their neighbors were getting used to him now. They hadn't given him a side glance in a few weeks. He wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not, but at least they didn't seem to have figured out that he was basically T'Pol's husband. The roof was pretty stable, so after a few minutes he hopped off of it. On the ground, he put his hands on his hips, squinting in the sun. There was no one on the street in front of the house, as most people were at their jobs. Trip supposed that was for the best anyway, the may inquire why he was standing next the house instead of doing his job. He shook off the thought and headed back into the house. He made his way into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and leaned up against the counter with a sigh. He was being honest with himself, the idea of children had come to him a few weeks before. Every once in a while, their neighbors came out of their houses, and one in particular had a small child. The first time Trip saw the small girl, his chest tightened. She was about four or five, the age that Elizabeth would be. Her pointed ears were clearly visible from under her hair. Although she didn't act like a human child would, she still was a child, trailing slowly behind her mother. Trip followed them with his eyes until he realized that doing so might frighten the girl. He turned away, and realized that tears had started forming in his eyes. He resolved at that moment to contact Phlox.

And he did. He lied to T'Pol because he wanted to make it seem as though Phlox had figured it out himself. Trip remembered the look on Phlox's face when he made the proposition. "So what'cha think Doc? Is it possible?" Phlox had paused, causing Trip's heart to drop.

"I believe so, Commander…" he said haltingly… "however, it may take some time. I understand that T'Pol's pon farr should take place in one Vulcan year. If we do not manage to create a viable embryo in one year, then we will have to wait another seven years to attempt again." Trip nodded, rubbing his chin, thinking. A year? That wasn't a lot of time, yet again, Trip didn't want to wait another seven years, especially because that would put him in his fifties, and T'Pol in her late seventies, although she would still be young in Vulcan years. He nodded, resolved.

"Go for it Doc. I need to know if we can do it." Phlox stared at him a hard, long moment, then nodded. He clicked out of the conversation, leaving Trip looking at the blank screen.

A soft bang brought Trip out of his memory quickly. He put down his glass quickly, and made his way to the living room. T'Pol was putting her bag down, and put her traveling coat on the rack near the door. Trip watched her wordlessly, feeling butterflies in his stomach. She turned and looked at him, not saying a word. They stared at each other a hard long moment, and Trip was worried that she completely forgotten what they had said in the morning. He took a tentative step forward, wringing his hands. "So… have 'ya thought about this morning?" He asked, stealing a glance at T'Pol's reaction. She seemed to contemplate this for a moment, examining his face. She took a step forward.

"I have." Her tone gave nothing away, to the frustration of Trip.

"And?" He probed, taking another step forward. "What do 'ya think?" T'Pol looked away from him. ' _uh oh.'_ Trip thought to himself. ' _that cannot be good.'_ "C'mon just tell me." There was a pregnant pause. Then T'Pol looked at him again.

"I believe that it will be difficult, if not dangerous." _'shit, that means no_.'Trip thought, running a hand through his hair.

"I know. I just thought we could, 'ya know, try ta have kids." He went to turn around, but felt a hand on his shoulder, he paused and looked over his shoulder. T'Pol was starting at him, imploringly. He turned back around, his heart racing. T'Pol seemed to be stuck on what she wanted to say. "T'Pol?" He asked, now making the distance between them imperceptible. She looked at him, and he could see the distress in her eyes; that's when he felt an inkling of emotions that were not his own. He reached an arm out, and put it around her shoulders. "Oh, T'Pol. We won't lose more children." T'Pol was stiff for only a moment before leaning into his shoulder. Trip looked down at the top of her head. "I know you're worried about future kids experiencing what happened to Elizabeth. But the doc says that these kids will be okay." T'Pol looked up at him.

"Elizabeth's death almost destroyed you, Trip. I do not know if you could survive another loss." Trip wasn't quick to forget how he felt after his daughter's death, but yet again, he had known how T'Pol felt at the time too. It almost destroyed her. There was one difference this time, however. They had each other. He tightened his grip around T'Pol. He knew that she could feel the love flowing from him to her. T'Pol slowly pulled away from his embrace, and stood in front of him. "How long does the doctor need?" She asked, in a low tone.

"A year." Trip answered, with no hesitation. T'Pol nodded, in thought. "About the time of your pon farr."

"You believe the risk is reasonable." Trip searched her face silently.

"Only if you do." He knew that this one was a hard decision for T'Pol to make. There were so many things that needed to be figured out, but at the same time, he felt the hope beginning to emit itself from T'Pol. She nodded, her chin dipping down slightly. It took all he had in him not to exclaim at this motion, but he did step forward and take T'Pol in his arms. "God, I love you." He whispered. T'Pol put her arms around him gently. She did not return the out loud exclamation of love, but her thoughts returned the phrase. He pulled her away enough to look at her face. "You're sure?" He asked. She returned his gaze.

"It is not certain that a pregnancy will result from…." She began, but was cut off with a kiss from Trip, which she returned. In his mind, Trip was imagining little children with blonde hair and pointed ears, and he pulled T'Pol slightly tighter against him.

A/N: well there's another chapter! More to come, my wheels are turning. If you liked this, please review! I see people adding it to alerts, but I would love to hear your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about the wait! College sucked away my attention! If you like what you see, please leave a review!

Chapter 6

Trip leaned back in his chair and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had just ended a conversation with Phlox. It hadn't exactly gone like he had hoped. They all knew that it wouldn't be easy to create this half human half Vulcan baby, but Trip had to admit, he never thought it would be this difficult. After all, Phlox told him that such a baby was possible, and that they would be viable. And yet here they were, six months in, with no sign of a viable embryo. Phlox keep telling him to "have patience", but his was wearing thin. There was only about six months left until T'Pol went into Pon Farr, which was their only chance of getting pregnant. With a grunt, he pushed himself out of the chair, and walked slowly back to the room. It was late, or early, depending on he looked at it. Although the house was still dark, he knew that it was much later than he usually went to bed. T'Pol had gone to bed a few hours earlier, which was why he had received Phlox's call instead. Trip paused outside of the bedroom door, knowing that once he started to push it open, T'Pol would wake up, meaning that she would inquire why he was coming to bed so late, and then he would have to explain that Phlox called. He hesitated, and then pushed the door open. T'Pol was facing the door, her chest moving up and down slowly as she slept. She looked what Trip would call, "cute", but knew that if he said that out loud he'd get the "Vulcan glare." He inched his way into the room, surprised that she hadn't woken up yet. Maybe he'd be lucky, and she wouldn't wake up as he predicted. As he gently pulled the corner of the sheet up however, one of her eyes opened slowly. Although she did not appear blurred, she looked confused as he did not move, holding onto the corner of the sheet.

"Trip?" She inquired quietly, watching him with suspicion. He pulled back the sheet with enough room to climb into bed, and then put the sheet back over him. "Are you just coming to bed?" She asked, much more clearly now. She lifted her head, looking more and more suspiciously at him. He nodded meekly. When he did not elaborate, she pushed herself up on her arms and looked at him seriously. "Why?" Trip looked down at his lap before responding.

"Phlox called." He did not elaborate willingly, but he could feel T'Pol's annoyance growing. "The last embryo didn't make it. He said that they're trying to figure out what wrong, so that the next one has a better shot." He finally looked up to look at T'Pol; her eyes were unfocused, as though she wasn't looking at anything at all. She looked away from him.

"That embryo took three months to create. How long does he believe the next one will take?" She asked, in an emotionless tone.

"He guessed about the same amount of time." Trip said to the back of her head. He could see her taking deep calming breaths. They both knew what this meant. That embryo had been the longest one to hold on, and then poof, it was gone. Having to take another three months to create an embryo that may or may not survive put them very close to their deadline, not to mention they had to figure out exactly when and how to implant the embryo. This loss was a huge one, in terms of timing and the future of finding a viable embryo. T'Pol turned her head towards him again, her eyes unreadable.

"I believe that if a viable embryo is not discovered in the next round, then it will be too late." Trip nodded.

"That's what Phlox thinks too. 'Specially since you'll have to be inseminated with the embryo sometime durin' your pon farr. We don't even know there'd be a good time for that." He was starting to feel a hopelessness come over him. When they had started this journey, it seemed full of promise. Sure they knew there may be problems, but they also knew that human and Vulcan DNA could combine. It just seemed inevitable that it would happen. But now, all these road blocks kept coming up, first with the iron and copper not being able to mix, and now with some of the DNA not splittin' the way it was supposed to. It seemed that the universe just kept throwin' wrenches into the mix. Trip turned on his side with a sigh, and looked T'Pol straight in the eyes. "I just keep thinkin' about Lorian and Elizabeth. I thought that they were proof of how we could have kids. Ya know? Sometimes I wish I had snunk a peek at the medical database when we met the other Enterprise. Then I'd know how Phlox made Lorian."

"That would have been immoral." T'Pol said, not missing a beat. Trip smiled at her. If nothing else, she was consistent.

"I know. But still, would definitely help to have that information." They laid in silence next to each other.

"Dr. Phlox is the reason that Lorian was conceived, there is no reason to believe he cannot be the reason another child is conceived." T'Pol said suddenly, startling Trip.

"What do you mean?" It was obvious that Phlox was the reason Lorian had been made, everyone knew that. Lorian had said it himself; but what did that have to do with anything?

"There is no way of knowing how many embryos were lost before a successful embryo, Lorian, was created. Perhaps there were several embryos then, as there are now." Trip contemplated her words, before breaking into a full grin.

"Are ya saying, don't give up hope?" He asked. He had never figured her to be the one providing comfort, but here she was, be it logical comfort. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am simply stating that logically, one can assume that Lorian was not the first embryo to survive. It would follow that we could expect our first embryo to have a similar fate." He sighed again. A little bit of his dread left, but he also remembered that in Lorian's world, Phlox didn't have to concentrate on anything other than working on the combining. Who knew how long he had to work on it? Maybe how long they had, maybe much more, they would never know. He attempted to shield this dread from T'Pol, but knew that it didn't work. "We should sleep. It is very late." He nodded, but knew that these thoughts would haunt him all night.

When he awoke, T'Pol was not in bed, but he could also sense that she wasn't in the room. He had not fallen asleep for hours after their conversation. When he finally drifted off he could see light pouring in through the windows. He stretched, then threw off the sheets. Sleeping on the issue had not made it any clearer to him. He wanted a child so badly, but at this point it did not seem worth it anymore. They had already lost two embryos, and had only the time to try for one more. Besides, he didn't even know what pon farr was, T'Pol was secretive about it. He didn't know how he was supposed to be helpful during it if he didn't even know what it was about. Pushing the thoughts aside, he pushed the door open, and made his way to the kitchen. Normally by this time he would be working in the garden, but he didn't feel much like doing work. In all honesty, he felt like crawling back into bed and just staying there. But that wasn't plausible. So he got his normal morning coffee and sat at the counter. A few minutes later, the front door began to open, and to his surprise, T'Pol stepped through. He had expected her to be at work, but it appeared he had been wrong. She took off her traveling cloak and placed it on a hook, not glancing in his direction. He knew that she could sense him, but maybe what they had talked about the night before was also affecting her. She looked down at her hands, wringing them. "Hi." He said, deciding to break the awkward silence that now engulfed them. She glanced up at him. Now that he could see her eyes, he could tell that she wanted to talk about something. What, however, was beyond him. "What's up?" She took a step closer to him.

"There is something we should discuss." He gulped. Maybe she wanted to talk about stop trying with the embryos.

"About the embryos?" He asked, holding his breath. She seemed confused at his question.

"I believe we discussed that last night." She almost challenged him, daring him to argue that they weren't going to keep trying. He shrugged his shoulders, almost as if to say 'what then?' She looked suddenly shy, something that he had only seen a few times before. She was going to talk about something that she considered intimate. "For Vulcans certain information is considered intimate…. one of those being pon farr." Trip nodded. "Vulcans only discuss it with their intimate partner, or doctor." She took a few steps closer to him, seeming more and more shy with each step. "It is a time that is very personal. It is unusual to have to explain it to a person outside of the species."

"Most partners already know what it entails." Trip realized. If T'Pol had chosen a Vulcan mate, she wouldn't be going through what she was now. Her mate would already know what to expect, because it was something they went through too. But they were different. Sometimes it struck him just how different they were from other couples. He felt guilty.

"Trip… there is a reason that we must try to implant the embryo during ponn farr. It is only during that time that I am fertile." This was new information to Trip.

"Actually that makes a lot a sense. I used 'ta think that Vulcans only sex once every seven years, but I've sense been proved wrong." He resisted the urge to wink at her.

"There is also something you must be aware of; I may lose my sense of reality. It may take some force to inseminate me."

"What do you mean?"

"Copulation will be the only thought on my mind. However; as we are both aware, natural conception is not possible. Therefore, the embryo has to be inseminated. I may not be aware of needing to be inseminated, and you and Dr. Phlox will need to follow through with the procedure."

"That sounds a lot like rape to me." Trip said, sounding disgusted. "I don't know if I can follow through with that. I don't want our kid conceived under those conditions." T'Pol reached the counter, and grabbed Trip's hand.

"If you do not, then our child will not be conceived." He grunted, angrily.

"We don't even know if an embryo will survive anyhow!" T'Pol eyed him seriously.

"If one does, this will be the only way to impregnate me." Trip looked wearily at her, and did not respond.

A/N: Well, that's it for now! Read the next chapter to find out what happens, and leave me a review about this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey everyone! I see a few more have added this to their alerts. If you like what you read, please drop me a review!

Chapter 7

Just as Trip was about to give up hope, Dr. Phlox gave him the best news he had heard all year. The last embryo, their last hope, had hung on, and was deemed fit to be implanted. They had no idea if it would stick, but it gave Trip a lot of hope that the embryo would survive. "Does that mean that we can have this baby?" He asked, a huge grin spreading across his face. Phlox was attempting to look professional.

"I am saying that there is a chance. I have already spoken to T'Pol about the procedure that needs to be followed."

"Yeah, she told me what I gotta do." He ran a hand through his hair, looking guilty. "Ta be honest with ya doc, sounds a bit barbaric." Phlox smiled understandingly at him.

"Commander, I know that it is not the ideal way to conceive a child, but it is the only way, in your case." Trip nodded.

"I know, doc." He sighed. "So, when can we expect this all to happen?"

"Very soon, I'm afraid." He smiled again, then the screen went black. It was getting close, Trip knew. They didn't know exactly how close, only T'Pol knew that, but they had discussed exactly how to process would go. They had to wait long enough into pon farr that she would be fertile, but not enough that she wouldn't be lucid. She was to tell him exactly when to knock her out, and then he would insert the embryo. After that, she would wake up, and they would have to physically mate in order to make sure she didn't die. It was a complicated process, but one that they had deemed to be worth it. The embryo was on its way, arriving in a day or so. And then, the process would begin.

T'Pol and Trip were laying on the bed next to each other, serenely. He gently stroked the curvature of her pointy ear. He knew this would not wake her, as her pon farr was complete, and she was exhausted. It was a completely different experience than he was expecting, not that he knew what to expect anyway. T'Pol had told him that she would lose all sense of herself, but he hadn't realized to what extent. He shuttered at the thought of what he did, and then rolled over, gently pushing himself out of bed. He had to call Dr. Phlox, and let him know that the procedure was complete. He looked down at himself quickly, and realized that it might not be appropriate to talk to the doctor without pants and a shirt on. Clothes had been sort optional the last couple of days. He grabbed the clothes that had been laid out days in advance, 'thank god T'Pol thinks far ahead', he thought, tugging the shirt over his head. He glanced at himself quickly, noting the circles under his eyes, and his messed up hair. He attempted to smooth it down some, but quickly realized it was a hopeless cause. 'At least Phlox with know with certainty that I'm not lying', he thought, throwing a quick glance in T'Pol's direction. She seemed peaceful while she slept, and he couldn't wait to join her in slumber. He pushed open the door, and made his way down the hallway. He pushed himself into the seat in front of the monitor, and made the call. Phlox answered almost immediately, as if he was waiting for this particular call. He looked apprehended as he answered. "Ah, Commander, I presume you are calling to tell me how it went?" Trip nodded, tiredly.

"That's right doc. It went just the way ya and T'Pol planned it." As Trip spoke, Phlox's smile began to grow across his face.

"Then, she has been inseminated?" Trip winched at the word inseminated, but nodded. "Good. I presume she is resting?" Trip nodded again. "That is all very good. It should be clear in a few weeks if the embryo attached securely or not. If T'Pol believes that the embryo has attached, she will call me with scans, and I will confirm her findings. Until then Commander, I suggest that you seek rest as well." Trip resisted the urge to wink, and settled for a telling grin.

"Doctor's order, got it." He said. And clicked out of the call. It had been a long couple of days, and the bed had never seemed such an oasis before. He slinked slowly down the hallway, and fell face first on the bed, passing out before he even hit the bed.

What felt like a minute later, but must have been hours, he awoke. The sun was hitting his face warmly through the shades, he was still face down in the bed, but alone, from the empty feeling of the bed. He was half surprised, but half not, knowing T'Pol. He rubbed a hand over his face, then sat up. Although he could still feel exhaustion in some of his limbs, he also felt a whole lot better than the day before. He wondered how T'Pol was feeling, since she had faced the brunt of it. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and made his way to the kitchen. To his surprise, T'Pol was sitting there, reading a PADD and sipping on her tea. She seemed almost nonplussed about the whole situation that she had endured the last couple of days. When she noticed Trip's presence, she looked up, nodded, and went back to her reading. He stared at her for a second, before moving to grab his coffee. When he had grabbed his coffee, he then leaned up against the counter, watching her silently. While she was attempting to not show any response outwardly, he knew her well enough to notice subtle differences. Although she was looking at the PADD, her eyes weren't actually moving across the page. Her hand around the cup was slightly tighter than usual. In fact, her whole body was stiffer than usual, which said a lot to Trip. He stepped off the counter, and leaned into the table a little. He looked at her a moment longer before speaking.

"Last night while you were sleeping I spoke with Phlox." She looked up slowly from the PADD. "He said that we should know in a few weeks if the embryo attached or not." T'Pol nodded, a far off look in her eyes. He began to move around the table, closer to her. "Do you remember anything?" He asked.

"I remember everything." Although those words were simple, they were weighted. Trip moved even closer.

"What's wrong?" T'Pol did not look at him, so Trip moved to a distance close enough that if he reached out his hand he could touch her. He felt a wave of embarrassment from her. "Are ya embarrassed about the actions ya did?" She didn't answer, but he felt a confirmation from her. He sighed. "Look, we both know that ya didn't have any control over the situation. The *sexual relations* we have had before wasn't like it was this week. I know that it was just a biological urge, that you had no control."

"I also remember how you had to fight to inseminate me. I felt your discomfort." Trip tensed. He was still learning how to shield his emotions and hadn't realized that she had felt what he was feeling at the time. She looked him in the face, her eyes gentle, "I feel your discomfort right now as well." He was beginning to feel frustrated, but not at her, but at himself. He took a stabilizing breath.

"Look, it's difficult for me not to feel like I'm hurtin you. All my life I always thought that I would have kids the traditional way. It never came into my mind about having to sedate my partner and inseminate her." He felt a wave of sadness come over him, and realized that T'Pol had misinterpreted his words. She turned away from him, and he could sense that she was pulling herself away. "Hey." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I just never imagined that I'd be with a Vulcan. I never knew I'd fall in love with one, want children, or be able to have children. That's all."

"I apologize for inconveniencing you." She said shortly. Trip cursed at himself silently as she walked away.

After giving her some space, he found her in her meditating corner. Her candles were throwing a light glow on her face. He sat gently across from her, and breathed along with her. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, to see T'Pol already looking at him. Her eyes looked guarded. She looked like she was waiting for him to start. 'Great' he thought, breathing in deeply. "T'Pol, I love ya. Ya already know that. But, some of the things I grew up thinking my life was going to be is hard to move past. But I will not, do not, regret deciding to make this child. And if we ever want to have another child, then I will not hesitate doing it again." T'Pol examined his face.

"I apologize also. I was… ashamed of my behavior."

"T'Pol, it was out of your control." He interrupted, concerned. She raised an eyebrow, and continued.

"As a Vulcan, it is an embarrassing time. It is often not talked about. However; as we are not the average Vulcan couple, we needed to discuss it. I apologize for my… emotional response." Trip chuckled.

"If that was emotional, ya are in for a lot of surprise."

"I am aware." She replied, and Trip completely laughed. His eyes moved towards her abdomen without even thinking about it. T'Pol followed his gaze. "Ya think the baby is actually staying in there?"

"It is impossible to tell yet." She answered.

"I know, but what do ya feel? Do ya feel a bond with the baby? Is it in there?" She examined her abdomen for a minute.

"I believe that in a few weeks I will be able to answer your question more clearly." Trip rolled his eyes, but he couldn't wait for those weeks to fly by.

A/N: I didn't write the pon farr scene because this is a rated T story, and I thought that would be rated M. Also, I believe that scene would have seemed


	8. Chapter 8- The Return of Koss

A/N: I hope you're all enjoying this story! I love writing it, but I do miss your reviews! Reviews are what keeps me going, so please review! The name of this chapter will be evident near the end, so please read to the end! Onwards to the story!

Chapter 8: Koss Returns

T'Pol looked down at her still flat stomach, wondering if the fetus could feel the bond as strongly as she could. Although the fetus was no more than three weeks old, she could already sense its presence. Before she had realized the fetus had successfully attached, she simply believed she had lost some control over her fragile emotions. After all, her mate was a human who experienced a wide range of emotions. As she attempted to meditate however, there was no difference. Then she thought perhaps the emotions were coming from Trip, but they were not strong enough to be coming from him. When he was projecting his feelings, she could sense exactly the magnitude of his feelings, she could even hear his thoughts on occasion. These emotions she was experiencing were only enough to distract her for a short amount of time. This slight change was enough for Trip to take notice. "You alright?" He had asked that morning, watching her warily as she attempted to meditate. He usually did not disturb her when she meditated, but it was obvious that she wasn't meditating anyway.

"Yes, of course." She answered quickly, pulling herself out of her posture and standing. Trip eyed her suspiciously, but did not ask any more questions. She couldn't explain why she hadn't informed him of her suspicions. Perhaps she did not want raise his hopes. Every time they had faced a setback, she watched him almost fall to pieces. She did not want to raise his hopes of this child reaching fruition. She placed a hand on her abdomen. And perhaps she also wanted to keep this bit of information to herself because she liked this private bond with the fetus. Once Trip knew, he would be overprotective. Perhaps she was being selfish. She shook her head to herself and took out her scanner.

After sending the appropriate scans to Doctor Phlox, she made a proposition to Trip. Trip was sitting in the common area, leafing through some schematics on a PADD. She hesitated at first, if he was working on a PADD maybe he had work to do, yet again, it might just be for a resequencer, and she decided that kind of work could wait. She walked up to stand behind his shoulder, and peered at what he was working on. He stopped reading to look up at her, a confused expression on his face. "What's up?" He asked cheerfully, glancing down at the PADD again. She had not thought of exactly how to phrase her proposition.

"As I do not have to work today, I was thinking perhaps we could take a 'field trip'. She said, feeling very awkward.

"What kind of field trip?" Trip asked, not looking up from the PADD. This was where T'Pol was stuck.

"I was thinking perhaps to some tourist sites… such as the Fire Plains." He looked up sharply. She resisted gulping and continued, "As you did not get to fully enjoy the site the last time you visited." He nodded absentmindedly, scratching his chin.

"I dunno." He said. "What if it could hurt the baby?" It was T'Pol's turn to look surprised. Trip smirked. "What? Did ya really think I wouldn't notice ya sending the message to Phlox?" T'Pol cast her eyes down, ashamed that she really had thought that. "So… when did ya find out?" T'Pol still did not look at him.

"I have had my suspicions for a few days, however I sent the scans to the doctor this morning." Trip did not respond, so she raised her eyes very slowly, as the emotions he was emitting were difficult to read. He had turned in the chair, so that he was completely facing her now. "I apologize for keeping this from you." He waved a hand, and the emotions he was projecting now were very clear.

"I get it." He said, chuckling a little. "You didn't want me all over ya, touching your stomach and all that." T'Pol did not argue this point. She was watching his hands very closely, feeling apprehension that he might attempt to touch her stomach at this same moment. Trip felt her anxiety creeping into the back of his mind. "Don't worry T'Pol, I'm not gonna attempt to do it right now. Can't promise that I won't later when your belly's big though."

"How often?" T'Pol inquired, fighting anxiety from creeping into her tone.

"We'll see." Trip responded, knowing that response was not quite the one T'Pol was looking for. "Look, how bout we go to the Fire Plains… and I won't hold the 'not telling me thing' against you." He could see T'Pol contemplating his offer. "And… maybe… I won't touch your belly too much." He beamed. "But that's just a maybe." When he grabbed her hand, she didn't resist. "So, what do'ya say?"

An hour later they were finally heading out the door. T'Pol had insisted that he wear sunglasses, a hat, and protective layers of clothing. She had even forced him to put on sunscreen. He knew she was right of course, but it made him feel like he was five years old, going on a field trip with his mom. As they were closing the door behind them, she said again, for perhaps the hundredth time, "And remember, your name is Michael Kenmore." He rolled his eyes this time.

"Geez T'Pol, I know. Are you tellin' me for my sake, or yours?"

"Both." She quipped, brushing past him. He paused, put his hands on his hips, and cast his eyes towards the heavens, before breathing out and lightly jogging to catch up with her.

"Alright, but are you gonna call me Mike?" He asked through puffs. She turned suddenly, and he had to pull himself to a stop or he would have run into her. Her face betrayed no emotion, which he suddenly realized was on purpose.

"You are merely my human gardener, whom I am taking to the Fire Plains." She said flatly. Trip put up his hands in defeat. She inclined her head slightly, then turned back around. Today was going to be a long day.

As expected, the Fire Plains were slightly busy with tourists. Many of them were led by guides, but as T'Pol was from Vulcan, Trip had his very own guide. The last time they had visited the plains, they had ended the site seeing much sooner than anticipated. The minute he realized she was marrying Koss, he simply walked out of the caves, without saying a word to T'Pol. Without commanding them to come, the painful memories came flooding in, causing him to wince before getting them back under control. 'That was years ago' he thought to himself, 'get ahold of yourself.' T'Pol glanced worriedly at him.

"Mr. Kenmore, are you alright?" Her voice was emotionless, but he could see in her eyes that she had just gotten a glimpse of his thoughts. She had stopped in front of him, standing sideways. Behind his sunglasses he chanced a glance at her still flat stomach, to remind himself of what his life was like now.

"Yeah, I'm fine." T'Pol nodded, and led the way once again, although she did cast several more glances back at him. Together they explored the caves, at a more leisurely pace than they had the last time they visited. Part of Trip hoped that T'Pol was going more slowly because the baby was making her think, but mostly he thought that it was because the last time she had been on a mission. T'Pol routinely checked that he was reapplying the sunscreen and was adequately hydrated. Once again, he felt like a small child. "I know how to take care of myself." He mumbled to himself, trudging behind T'Pol.

"If you knew how to take care of yourself Mr. Kenmore, then you would not have experienced heat stroke twice." T'Pol called to him suddenly, never turning to look at him. 'damn, Vulcan hearing.' He thought. She was right though; he did have a history of passing out in deserty places. Begrudgingly, he took another swing out of his canteen, making a loud 'ahhhh' sound so that T'Pol would know that he was in fact drinking water without her telling him so. A short time later, T'Pol led him to an overview that he recognized immediately. It was pretty small, only about three people at a time could stand on it. As T'Pol waited for him on the landing, he realized that she had brought him to this specific spot for a reason. He paused briefly, as the feelings of what had occurred the last time they were there engulfed him. "Mr. Kenmore?" T'Pol's voice shook Trip out of his temporary stupor.

"Yeah?" he choked out. T'Pol motioned to the view over the cliff.

"It was my understanding that humans may enjoy this view. Was I incorrect?" She looked concerned that this had been the wrong idea. He shook his head.

"Nah, I was just enjoying another view is all." Waggling his eyebrows at her from behind his sunglasses, he joined her, and took in the beauty of the Fire Plains. As she stood next him, she did not give off an aura of secrecy, and she didn't suddenly tell him she had something she needed to tell him. Trip felt at peace, finally, with this place. As he looked sideways at T'Pol, he caught her eye; her chin bobbed ever so slowly down, a confirmation that, 'yes, I feel that peace as well.'

By the time they returned to the house, Trip was sweaty and tired. He was relieved to be home again, and flopped on the couch in the common area. T'Pol followed him in more gracefully, closing the door behind them. "I take it that the Fire Plains were worth the trip?" She asked, perching herself on the arm of the couch. Trip merely grunted in response. She reached over in order to remove his hat, under which his hair was soaked in sweat. She brushed aside some of his locks as she removed his hat. Trip turned his head, the sunglasses still on his face.

"Ya know, I don't remember the fire plains being so difficult last time." He moaned.

"Well, you are seven years older than the last time we attempted the plains." He glared at her through the sunglasses, but as she couldn't see that, he removed them so he could glare at her better. "You did suggest that the plains were more difficult this time." She offered.

"Just gotta rub it in that you're basically immortal and I'm the dirty old sock, I get it." He pushed himself off the couch, in a half attempted hurt tone. Just as T'Pol was about to respond, her doorbell rang. They both turned towards it in surprise. "I didn't know you were having anyone over." Trip said, suddenly panicked. The way that T'Pol was looking at him suggested that she didn't know either.

"I wasn't." She answered, composing herself quickly. It was likely that whoever was at the door had heard two voices, so although Trip would have loved to run at that moment, it would have been too suspicious. Instead he sat on the couch and attempted to look nonplussed about the whole situation. Just as T'Pol was leaning forward to open the door, the doorbell rang a second time. She took a deep breath, and opened the door to admit the visitor. He heard her sharp intake of breath before he saw the visitor, and when he did, he stood up without thought.

"Hello T'Pol." came the man's voice. T'Pol's tone was ice cold as she replied.

"Hello Koss."

"I believe that it is customary to be invited in." Koss supplied, after a moment of dead silence. T'Pol reluctantly opened the door to admit him.

"Yes, of course. Come in." He walked through the door first, stopping short when he saw Trip.

"And who is this?" He questioned, clearly surprised. T'Pol was looking at Trip over Koss' shoulder, giving him a clear 'don't say anything' look. He could feel his temperature rising, but simply balled his hands behind his back.

"This is Michael Kenmore, a human who is working as the estate's gardener." Koss' eyes narrowed at Trip.

"Why is he in your home?" Koss questioned again. Trip wished he could throw a punch right across the smug bastard's face, but he restrained himself.

"I do not believe that my staff is of your concern." T'Pol said pointedly. Koss finally dragged his eyes away from Trip.

"Yes, you are correct, I apologize." He motioned towards a chair, almost asking permission to sit. He took T'Pol's lack of response as an affirmative, and sat himself in the seat.

"Would you like a beverage?" T'Pol asked.

"That's alright, I got it." Trip interjected, wanting to get out of Koss' sight before he punched him one. He knew that Koss would eventually show up again. It was just surprising he had taken so long, maybe he was giving her an appropriate amount of time to 'mourn' before jumping on the chance to get with her again. He slammed down the glass he was holding more soundly than he had intended. 'down boy.' He chastised himself. They couldn't afford him to lose his cool now. He forced himself to take deep controlled breaths, and then walked back into the common area. Koss and T'Pol were talking, she was in a seat across the room from him, sending a message that she didn't intend to be close to him. 'that ta girl'. He thought, offering Koss a glass of water. Koss took it, and began conversing with T'Pol again. 'right, Vulcans don't really express thanks.' He thought, a bit put off by Koss' actions. He caught a bit of the conversation he had missed most of.

"I admit I was surprised to see you had left the Earth vessel. That was a bargaining discussion on our arraignment." T'Pol stared coldly back at him.

"My time was needed elsewhere. Some personal matters had to be attended to." Koss set his drink down. 'so now he gets to the point.' Trip thought to himself, crossing his arms.

"I heard that Commander Tucker was killed before the war." T'Pol did not answer him. "Is that why you decided to leave your Earth vessel? Because of emotions? How illogical." Trip wasn't certain what Koss was trying to get at. Then, Koss turned suddenly towards Trip. "I came today because I saw the two of you at the Fire Plains." Trip froze. "And to my surprise, I saw what I believe was 'the talking between two minds'." Trip could feel his anxiety rising. "Which would be impossible, unless the two were bond mates." He turned towards T'Pol, "An impossibility, as your bond mate is dead." T'Pol could not reply, as telling him her bond mate was dead, would indicate that she and Trip had been bonded, and saying that she hadn't been bonded may work right into Koss' hands. As an instinct, T'Pol had laid one hand on her stomach, a motion that was not unnoticed by Trip or Koss. 'uh, oh'. Trip thought. "It appears my conclusion was correct. Commander Tucker." Koss said, with a finality. What could Trip do, but admit defeat?

"Good to see you again, Koss." Trip answered.

"I cannot say the same to you."

…. To be continued in part 2

A/N: This was getting really long, and I have so much more to write. If you like what you see, let me know, and please let me know what parts you like! You are awesome!


	9. Chapter 9- Koss returns conclusion

A/N: Glad to see the last chapter was exciting for you guys! Continue to let me know what you think! Onwards to the story!

Chapter 9: Koss Returns Part 2

"Well, looks like you figured it out." Trip said, trying to act nonchalant about the situation he found himself in. "What do you want, a ribbon?" Koss seemed to mull over his words, perhaps confused by Trip's word usage.

"I do not require… a ribbon." He looked between the couple. "I believe I have a proposal that will… benefit all of us." Trip glanced at T'Pol over Koss' shoulder, seeing that she was just as perplexed as him.

"Are you tryin' to say that our relationship is a business transaction?" He could feel his anger slowly growing. Koss put his hands up defensively.

"I simply believe that we can help each other. For example, how is it that T'Pol is pregnant without a bond mate?" He glanced at Trip again. "And you are deceased Commander, at least officially. It may be impossible to explain how T'Pol is still alive and pregnant. I believe that I can provide the answer." Trip raised an eyebrow at this.

"How would this benefit 'ya exactly? Sounds like we would be the ones benefiting." Koss placed his hands in his lap, not moving them.

"If the general public believes that the children of T'Pol are mine, then my status in society will be increased. Our marriage achieved the same effect for a short amount of time." Trip could feel his blood pressure rising. There was no way in hell that he was going to let this bastard claim his kids. They wouldn't call Koss dad, EVER. Reading his emotions, T'Pol spoke, in a much calmer voice than he would have used.

"Would you claim the child as your own?" She asked, glancing quickly at Trip, who had his arms folded over his chest.

"No. I believe the effect could be achieved by merely mentioning it to a few people. Undoubtingly your status will encourage others to accept the idea." As much as he hated to admit it, Koss did have a point. It may be mighty difficult to explain away so many factors of the child's existence. At the same time, he felt like Koss may be doing this "favor" as a way to reel T'Pol in again. Who knows, maybe once a child was seen as being a certain man's offspring, the mother was forced back into marriage with the father. He may be making this idea seem amazing, but actually be forcing them into a corner.

"How do I know that 'ya aren't just gonna force T'Pol into a marriage again, and take my kid away from me?" Koss looked up sharply.

"This may be difficult for you to understand, but I am a man of word. If I promise to follow through, I do. This instance is of no difference." He stood abruptly. "I will leave you to decide." He went to the door, clutching the sides of it before he left. "I do not wish you harm. I simply find this solution to be rewarding to all of us." Then he left, leaving Trip and T'Pol looking at each other in utter confusion.

XXX

Trip and T'Pol were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bed in their room. T'Pol unconsciously placed a protective hand on her flat stomach. After Koss had left, they simply stared at the door, in utter confusion. It was difficult enough knowing that one more person in the universe knew that Trip was alive, but it made it more difficult that it was the ex-husband of T'Pol. On top of that, his proposal was so out of the blue, and was suspicious. "So… what do 'ya think?" Trip finally asked, unable to stand the silence any longer. He could feel her emotions rolling in a wave, even though she was simply looking at a spot on the floor. "Do 'ya think he was sincere in his proposal?" She dipped her chin slightly, not looking up from the spot on the floor.

"He has always been a man of his word." She continued to stare at the spot.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trip asked, realizing that what she was saying was deeper than this particular situation. He felt her trepidation.

"He and his family insisted that we get married. He said that we would, and we did. Despite my… hesitation."

"Are 'ya sayin' that he might go through with this plan without our consent?" Trip asked, horrified. T'Pol turned to him.

"I am saying that he is a man of his word. He believes that this plan is logical, it protects your identity as well as boosting his standing in society." Trip rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Do 'ya think it would help? As long as he doesn't try ta say this baby is actually his." He placed a hand on her stomach, smiling slightly as she shifted. "Is it okay with 'ya if I smack him if he tries to claim the baby?"

"I would not stop you, as it would be between you and him." She answered lightly. Trip had to laugh at loud at this.

"I guess that we should let him know…"

"He can wait." T'Pol said, placing her hand lightly over Trip's which was on her stomach.

XXX

Trip and T'Pol sat next to each other across from Koss. He didn't outwardly show any emotion, but Trip was really hoping that he was feeling uncomfortable. He resisted putting his arm around T'Pol's shoulders. "We've thought over your proposal and came to a decision." Koss did not reply, apparently believing his response was not necessary. "Yeah… so we decided we will go along with it." He ended awkwardly, exchanging a look with T'Pol.

"However; before we agree, we have a few… amendments." T'Pol added.

"Yeah, we just wanna make sure you're not gonna try to steal our baby, or try to force T'Pol into another marriage." Koss' eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"You question my intentions?" he asked, attempting to quell his anger.

"Well, yeah. But T'Pol said you're a man of your word." Koss looked quickly at T'Pol. "For better or worse that's what you are. If she's proven wrong…" Trip leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. "then I will hunt you down and beat the living day lights out of you." Koss opened his mouth, but Trip put up a hand of warning, "And I know that you're three times stronger than me. I don't care. If you harm T'Pol or our baby, I will find some way to kill you. Even if you kill me first, I will come back from the dead and kill you. Mark my words." Koss seemed to contemplate this, then chanced a glance at T'Pol. She returned his gaze steadily.

"I will not overstep my bounds." He finally answered, less smug than he had been earlier.

"Better not." Trip murmured, knowing that both Vulcan occupants had heard him.

XXX

About a week later, it seemed that the rumors began to spread. T'Pol came home from work, Trip could feel her amusement as she placed her traveling cloak on the hook. He came out of the kitchen to ask her exactly what this amusement was about. "Good day at work?" He asked, leaning against the door frame. T'Pol glanced back at him.

"A colleague asked about my marriage to Koss."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I told her that it was none of her concern, and that my private matters were private. I do believe that it may have fueled her curiosity, as another colleague inquired if I was pregnant." T'Pol responded, turning towards him.

"I didn't know Vulcans gossiped at work." T'Pol simply raised her eyebrow.

A/N: If you read the books, you know that there was a rumor floating around that T'Pol's kid was Koss'. This is my theory how that developed. I hope it met expectations, I see Koss as a result of his culture, not that he is exactly an ass. Also, I believe a visit from Archer is in store, let me know what you think!


	10. Archer Visits

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I just graduated with my Bachelor's and got engaged! I hope you like this chapter, and leave a review!

Chapter 10

Captain Archer sat facing the window, watching the stars race by. Although his eyes were trained on the window, his mind was focused on something else entirely. The last decade had been fraught with war and death. Everything he had known about the galaxy had been turned upside down, even his ship was decommissioned. And now the Federation was considering making him an Admiral, when he wasn't positive he wanted this promotion. Being behind a desk for the rest of his career wasn't exactly how he envisioned working with other species. But he had to admit, he seemed to have a way with people, and being an admiral would make it a hell of a lot easier to make deals. Being a captain meant that he had to go to higher ups before making important decisions, which had almost cost the life of his crew, and the life of others. He also wasn't as young as he used to be. Hell, he wasn't even that young when he became captain, but it was different now. His colleagues were becoming increasingly younger than him, while still being in their late twenties. Slow reflexes could cost him his life while out on a mission. And yet…

Being an admiral would mean political hurdles was not something he felt like he wanted to do, or could do. Throughout the years he had experienced times when politics had gotten in the way of a crucial decision. He didn't care if something done on a mission pissed off certain people, what had to be done had to be done. He didn't care how the Vulcans did not approve of everything they did, and he certainly wouldn't take their criticisms as the scripture like earlier admirals had. Archer sighed, and rubbed his hand against his forehead. He would however, be the first admiral who had actually experienced what being in space was like. Perhaps he could even have rules changed based on what he knew worked and what didn't work. He could help make a new system in Starfleet. * _ding_ *. The chime in his quarters rang, and he looked up slowly. "Come in." he murmured, and the door slide slowly open to reveal an ensign, looking shyly at him.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but the captain asked me to tell you we're approaching the planet." Archer stood.

"Thank you, ensign. Please tell the captain that I am ready to depart as soon as possible."

"Understood, sir." The ensign turned and left, leaving Archer to watch after the ensign. He turned back to gaze out the window. However, this visit this went, it would him make the decision of his career.

XXX

Trip glanced at the clock hanging in the house. T'Pol was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago, and her being late was not helping his anxiety any. He was pacing back and forth across the living room, wringing his hands together, and glancing up at every little sound. After what seemed like a life time, the front door creaked open, and T'Pol's head followed not far behind it. She was leaning over as she took the key out of the keyhole and as she straightened herself, her bulging stomach was more visible under her traveling cloak. Trip ran to help her out of her cloak. "Where have ya been? Ya know he's gonna be here soon!"

"I believe you said his shuttle was to land at 20:00?" T'Pol asked, clearly knowing the answer.

"Yeah, so?" Trip asked suspiciously, placing his hands on his hips.

"The ride from the landing to our home is approximately fifteen minutes, and often it takes a few minutes for a passenger to acquire a vehicle." She ended there, but Trip felt an inkling of another reason she arrived so late. She could try to tell him it was all because she logically thought out how long it would take a visitor to get to their house, but she couldn't hide her actual intentions all the time, especially now that the baby was helping to project her feelings. He snorted as he interpreted what he was gathering from T'Pol, causing her to look startled. "What?" She asked.

"You're tryin' to tell me that it's all a logical explanation why ya left late. But ya didn't late did ya?" T'Pol shifted her feet unconsciously.

"I don't know what you are talking about." This made Trip chuckle.

"You left right on time, didn't you?" T'Pol chose not to answer, sensing that Trip was going to finish his thought. "But took longer than ya wanted, cause ya waddled a little, didn't ya?" He felt a wave of amusement come from T'Pol. He pulled her in for a hug. "And ya are only five months pregnant, I can't imagine the waddlin' when you are almost bout to have the baby!"

"Vulcans do not 'waddle'." T'Pol said into Trip's chest. He kissed the top of her head.

"I didn't mean to make you feel like ya got fat or somethin'." He said. T'Pol pulled away from his embrace.

"You did not." She stiffly said. Trip rolled his eyes, deciding this was a battle he didn't want to fight. Just then the chime rang, and Trip could barely contain his glee. He half trotted to the door to pull it open. The visitor looked up slightly before being engulfed in a hug.

"Cap'n! It's great to see ya!" Archer returned the hug and patted Trip's back.

"It's good to see you too." He patted Trip's back one more time then pulled away. "Sorry it's taken me so long to stop for a visit." Trip waved a hand.

"It's alright. We know ya've had a busy schedule." Archer had now stepped into the room, and Trip grabbed his luggage before closing the door behind him. Archer was staring at T'Pol with his mouth almost hanging open.

"Hello captain. It is agreeable to see you again." T'Pol said, raising an eyebrow at his glance. Archer seemed to gather himself and close his mouth, but then it fell open a little bit again.

"I… just… It's good to see you T'Pol." He said, taking a step in and pulling her in for a quick hug. When he pulled away, he motioned to her stomach. "Well, congratulations." He said, glancing quickly at Trip, who knew the unsaid question.

"Yeah, I'm the father cap'n, no question." Archer seemed to pale a little, and stepped back, looking for a chair with his hands.

"I don't understand. I thought it was impossible." Trip shrugged.

"Well, guess not." Archer glanced between the two of them.

"Does anyone know about this?" T'Pol nodded.

"Yes, but only Dr. Phlox, and Koss."

"Koss knows?!" Archer had known what T'Pol had gone through to get this divorce, and he didn't understand why she would willingly get to know Koss again.

"Long story." Trip said. Archer leaned back into his seat.

"Well, I've got time."

XXX

"Wow." Archer said, his head in his hands. "I've missed quite a lot." He scratched his chin absentmindedly. "You guys have started a family. I'm happy for you guys." Trip narrowed his eyes at Archer, and exchanged a glance with T'Pol, who was feeling suspicious as well.

"Thanks Cap'n, but I have a feeling that you didn't just come here ta catch up. What's up?"

"Guess I couldn't hide it well, huh?" Archer grinned, but it came out more like a grimace. "They've asked me to become an Admiral. I have until the end of my leave to make up my mind."

"That's amazin' cap'n! Congrats!" Trip jumped off the couch to hug his friend again. "Imagine that, I'm gonna be a friend to an admiral!" Archer looked bemused.

"I said I have made up my mind yet Trip." Trip frowned.

"What's there ta think about? You'll stay on Earth, you'll have better pay, and you'll have power. Sounds like the perfect job to me."

"You don't understand Trip." Archer stood up and walked across the room, then turned around. "I would be sitting behind a desk, not out there exploring like I always wanted to."

"Yeah, well at least you'd be an admiral under the same name you started." Trip said calmly and walked out of the room, his hands behind his head. Archer and T'Pol watched him walk out of the room, then faced Archer.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget everything he went through." He said. She seemed to examine him for a moment. Then she motioned after Trip. 

"You are lucky it is easy to forget that Trip gave up his life to protect the Federation." Her words were not filled with anger, but Archer could not help feeling as though he was being reprimanded. He sighed.

"This was not how I imagined seeing you guys going."

"I would imagine not." T'Pol said, attempting to sit down. She put her hand on her stomach and was trying to maneuver into the seat. Archer felt like he should help, but when he tried to offer help, T'Pol shooed his hand away. He did keep his hands at the ready until she was securely in her seat. T'Pol absentmindedly stroked her belly, which did not go unnoticed by Archer. He looked at her, lost in thought.

'I can't believe that T'Pol, all work and no play, is going to be a mom. Her career seemed like it was all that mattered to her.' As though she was reading his thoughts, T'Pol looked up from her stomach to say,

"I imagine it appears strange to see your former first in command, and your chief engineer having a child together." Archer could not control his snort.

"You could say that." He motioned to where Trip had left the room. "When you two met I didn't think you'd ever get along. Plus, other than me, you two are the biggest workaholics I've ever met." He started pacing, trying to keep up with his thoughts. "And yet, here you are, living on Vulcan, having kids." T'Pol had calmly watched his pacing, not moving her body at all.

"Captain, our situation was quite different than yours. Trip has had to fake his own death, and as a result, we have left the Federation. It was not an easy decision to make." Archer threw his hands up in the air.

"But don't you miss it sometimes? Don't you miss running around the universe, meeting new species?!" T'Pol's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Of course." Her words were simple, but Archer had no trouble finding the meaning behind them. After years of her being his right hand, he could read through her words. Knowing she was right, but not wanting to say it out loud, he went out the door Trip had gone out of, not looking back, but knowing that T'Pol was smiling in a way that only Vulcans could.

XXX

He found Trip walking lazily through the garden in the back. He was looking thoughtfully at each flower, and stood over each one. "Ya know, before going undercover, I didn't realize I had such a green thumb." Trip said, not looking up from his flower. "Did T'Pol tell ya to come find me?" He asked. Archer shook his head.

"Not in as many words, but you know how she is." Trip grinned as he rolled a flower between his fingers.

"Yeah, I do." He didn't make a move to stand closer to Archer, but looked more intently at the flower. "Who would'a known, years and years of engineering education to be a gardener." He finally looked up at Archer. "I went undercover with the intent to get back on a spaceship again, but here I am, stuck on Vulcan, with no chance of gettin' on a space ship again." His tone was not laced with any mal-intent, but was rather backed with sadness.

"That's just the thing Trip," Archer sighed, stepping in. "I wouldn't be on a space ship. I'd be in an office, while other people would be out on the missions. I just don't know if that's how I want my career to go." They seemed to examine each other for a moment. Trip ran a hand over his face.

"Look, I overacted, okay? It's just frustrating to be put in a position where a friend could have what everyone wants, when ya are stuck with no options, ya know?" Archer walked closer to Trip, and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Trip's face. A face that was different from the one he had known so well for so many years had changed now. It would never again be the face of Trip Tucker, a man who had worked on _Enterprise_ for many years. He could never fully grasp what Trip had been through, but yet again, look at the life he had. A life that so many in Star Fleet wanted, but could not have. A family.

"I shouldn't have brought it up so early into my visit. How about I mull it over in the next few days while I have a visit here with the two of you?" Trip seemed confused. "You two have always been my right hand people, and I think being around you will help me clear my head." Trip squinted his eyes.

"Did ya just plan this vacation to pick our brains?" He chuckled, and threw and arm around Archer's shoulders. "I hope ya enjoy science cap'n, cause T'Pol's got that all covered." Archer groaned loudly, while pushing the thought of coming to a decision to the back of his head.

A/N: Again, sorry for the late post! Let me know what you think!


	11. Archer's Visit Part 2

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! I'm so happy to see you guys are still liking it! Let me know what else you guys wanna see!

Chapter 11

After what felt like only moments of sleep, Archer woke with a start. In the back of his mind, there was an inkling that he should be up, and making breakfast. Although the sensation was unsubstantiated, it just couldn't be shaken off. Just as sleepiness began to take over, the sensation hit with full force again. With a frustrated grunt, Archer threw his feet over the side of his bed and tied his robe It was a chilly morning, perhaps owing to the fact that it was about three or so in the morning. The Vulcan heat hadn't had the chance to grab hold yet. As it was the first night of his visit, navigating was difficult. There were no distinguishing marks between heading to the kitchen and heading to any other part of the house. The hallway was not lite by artificial light, which did not surprise him much. Vulcans tended to rely on natural light, 'must save them a ton on the electricity bill', his sleep deprived brain noted, 'only logical', the thought continued. Just then his knee banged into something very hard. 'Damn it!' A door opened farther down the hallway, and he braced to endure the wrath of a pregnant Vulcan woman woken up in the middle of the night. Instead, he saw the head of Trip look down towards the kitchen, then towards where Archer was standing. He looked surprised.

"Cap'n? Is that you?" He whispered, sounding confused and bleary. Archer gave an embarrassed nod, rubbing his knee. Trip turned and closed the door behind him quietly, placing his hand to close it all the way.

"What'cha doin up at a quarter to three in the mornin?" He whispered, looking slightly panicked. Archer tried to hid a smile.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to get you in trouble with T'Pol. I just had a feeling that I should be getting breakfast ready. I am your guest." Trip had been about to argue about "getting in trouble" when Archer mentioned the guest bit. The look on his face was very familiar. "What?" Trip waved his hand,

"It's nothin', just… when I first visited here, T'Pol made me get up early, to help her make breakfast. It's customary on Vulcan for guests to make breakfast for the hosts."

"Huh." His wheels began turning. How could he know something he had never experienced before? Maybe it was because of the Vulcan database that he had read over and over. There had to be a bit about etiquette. Yet again, he didn't remember anything else about house etiquette. And then there was the katra experience, but no… that couldn't be. It had been years…

"Cap'n, ya don't think?" Trip asked suddenly, breaking Archer's concentration. He was looking at him imploringly, almost reading his thoughts. Archer look away.

"No, couldn't be." He insisted, not only trying to convince Trip, but convince himself as well. 

"But it could be, couldn't it?" Trip asked, his grin growing. "Wait till I tell T'Pol bout this."

"She wouldn't believe you anyway."

"Well, maybe, maybe not." He slung an arm around Archer's shoulders, "Talkin' bout T'Pol, we should move this to the kitchen, less likely to wake her up." They made their way to the kitchen, in a smoother path than Archer was walking before. Trip released his arm from around Archer's shoulders as he yawned, extending his arms high in the air.

"Oh no, I'm sorry for doing this. I didn't mean to keep you from sleep." Trip turned his back to Archer as he filled a cup with black coffee before filling another one for his friend. He placed one mug in front of Archer before sitting at a seat across from him.

"Cap'n, I probably haven't slept well in years. Even on Enterprise, I only slept six hours a day. And then undercover, sleeping could mean I would never wake up. And then..."

"A pregnant T'Pol." Archer finished. Trip nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. He looked past Archer, his eyes glossed over, then took anther sip of his coffee. Archer knew his friend was waiting to say something, so he just continued to sip his own coffee in the silence. Finally, Trip placed his mug gently on the table.

"Sometimes I think about how she deserves better, ya know?" He gulped, "I can't even have a job, I'm her f'ing gardener, and that's all I'm ever gonna be. And then… and then she's trapped here, planetside, because she left her job to come give me a place to live." He looked deeply into his coffee before taking another sip. The warm coffee seemed to help him gather his thoughts. "I feel like I'm holding her back, ya know? She could be working right now as an ambassador, but here she is, helping me survive, ya know? Doesn't feel right." Archer examined the face of his friend closely. He used be able to say that he knew every line, every facial expression. Now, he wasn't so sure. Trip had gone through so much that he would never understand, let alone know. But he knew the essence of his friends. He knew that Trip and T'Pol were the hardest workers in existence. And he knew that T'Pol would never do anything that she didn't want to. If she was on Vulcan now, it was because she wanted to be. Not because she felt she had to. He placed his mug back on the table, and placed his hands around it. He knew his words would not meet the insurmountable worry Trip was feeling, but he knew he had to say something.

"Alright, here's something you have to hear." Trip looked up, his face empty of emotion. "T'Pol never does anything she doesn't want to. And she does what ever she wants even if it's not the most advisable. Particularly that little voyage she took to try to rescue you." The corner of Trip's mouth twitched. "So you can try to convince me all you want that you trapped her here, but I know that's bull. She's here because she wants to be. She's here because you're here." Trip sighed.

"That's the point Cap'n. She would be off doing ambassador things if it wasn't for me."

"And I'm trying to tell you Trip, that I have no doubt she one day will be. But right now, she's focusing on being with you. Don't worry about 'holding her back.' She's never let anything hold her back, not even her own government. She's stubborn. So are you. That's how I know you two will be alright." Trip nodded, resigned.

"Thanks Cap'n, sometimes it's hard to not get into my own head. It's been a difficult few years." He ran a hand through his hair. Feeling a change in the winds of conversation, and not wanting to push Trip any further, Archer decided to change the topic.

"So… when's the baby due?" He asked, and Trip's face brightened instantly.

"We're not certain. Human and Vulcan gestational periods are different, so it may be closer to one or the other. Or an average of the two, but we won't know till it happens." 

"I still can't believe the two of you got your stuff together and are having a family."Trip looked startled. "It may have taken me longer than everyone else aboard, but I figured it out. Then you went undercover, and well, that's when I realized how much you two actually meant to one another."

"That's when we did too." Trip said, and did not elaborate. There was so much Archer wanted to know, like how exactly T'Pol always knew Trip's whereabouts, and what Trip did undercover. But that was all information that was classified, either through legal means, or personal. He knew his friends, but it was dawning on him that he would never really know them. "And after Elizabeth, we didn't know if we wanted to try to have a family. But all I kept seeing was little T'Pol's running around the house." Archer grinned. Then looked at the clock, realizing nearly forty minutes had passed. Trip glanced over to the clock as well and groaned. "Well, it is too late to go back to bed now, how 'bout we start that breakfast you offered before?"

XXX

As he and Trip prepared breakfast, he was surprised by all the stories Trip had to tell. T'Pol pregnant was similar to T'Pol not pregnant, except less patient and more obviously hungry. "And she'll tell ya that she isn't that hungry, but she'll sneak into the kitchen to grab a snack!" Archer belly laughed at this latest remark. "That woman, I tell ya." The look of joy on Trip's face made Archer feel envious. Although he once wished to be with T'Pol himself, he was incredibly happy for his friend. He was envious that they had found this family, and although he was married to Star Fleet, he would never have the same joy of waking up to see his pregnant wife asleep next to him. Trip cocked his head to the side for a moment. "T'Pol has woken up. She will mediate for about a half hour and then come down for breakfast." Archer looked at him suspiciously, Trip raised both hands. "All I know is that we're bonded, and the baby makes it stronger. But trust me, she's hungry." Archer nodded, as he made the final preparations for breakfast.

X

Just as Trip predicted, T'Pol entered the kitchen after about thirty minutes. She was dressed for the day, which looked like she was going to be taking the group out for an excursion. Although she did not sniff to see what food was available, her eyes gave away that she was indeed hungry. She trained her eyes on Archer. "Thank you captain. I hope that we did not impose the idea that it was your duty to prepare breakfast." He shook his head.

"No, no. I wanted to. It's was very generous of the two of you to open your home. I felt that it was appropriate to repay the generosity. And, it gave two old friends some time to catch up." T'Pol turned her attention to Trip, who was busy preparing her plate of food.

"Catch up?" She asked. Trip looked up, met her eyes for a moment, then looked back at the plate. "I see. Well, I do hope that we too, captain, may have a chance to 'catch up.'"

"I'd like that." He said, settling down into a seat next to her. Trip placed her plate in front of her, then settled into the seat across from her. "So... " he took a bite of fruit, "Trip said you had some outings planned?" T'Pol nodded, and swallowed food she had eaten.

"Yes. I believe the last few times you visited Vulcan were times of duress. It may be beneficial to enjoy some places that are typical for tourists." She took a bite of her breakfast again.

"Well, if tourist sites include sciencey places, yeah." Trip half mumbled, making sure both people heard him loud and clear. T'Pol glared at him, which was difficult to take seriously as she was taking another bite.

"I mean, I guess I could go to some of these sites. Considering they're important to T'Pol."

"Alright, fine. But can't we do somethin' that doesn't involve lookin' through a microscope?"

"What do you suggest?" T'Pol asked, her tone clipped. Archer could sense that Trip was tiptoeing now. He hid his reaction by eating, and looking down at his plate.

"I don't know, how about in town? I haven't really been in town, and if there's two humans, I'll feel less alone." T'Pol placed her fork next to plate.

"If we go to a museum today, I will… consider your alternative."

XXX

Despite Trip's concern about the museum being boring, Archer was having a good time. While museums tend to be the same on any planet, this was a different history, a different evolution. And although Trip pretended to be bored, he could tell that Trip was enjoying himself. The trio walked together through the museum, but Trip had to walk closer to Archer than T'Pol, something that was clearly irritating to him. "T'Pol, ya don't have to lean so close next to that case. You're gonna set off the alarm!" She placed a hand on her protruding stomach.

"Thank you, Mr. Kenmore, I am aware of my new diameter." Trip blushed.

"I'm gonna pay for that one later. She thinks I called her fat." He whispered to Archer.

"You sort of did." Archer whispered back, and hurried after T'Pol. The whole museum was sort of like the Natural History Museum, but for Vulcan instead of Earth. There was a whole section dedicated to genetics, a section that Trip seemed particularly interested in. He stood in front of a display for longer than he had at any other display. Archer walked over to look over his shoulder. It was the history of Vulcan, how evolution began.

"Wow." Trip whispered. "Millions of years before Earth even had a chance of evolvin' Vulcan was already in the beginnin' of havin' sentient life." He read each little description under the pictures. "And here, it talks about how it has been deemed impossible for Vulcans and other species to mix." He glanced over at T'Pol who was standing at another display across the room. "Can't blame 'em for thinkin' that." He looked back up to the board. "Crazy, how two species so different could meet, and start to understand each other, ain't it?" He asked.

"Yeah, it, is."

A/N: Well, I meant for that talk with Trip and Archer to be like a page, and yeah, didn't end up that way. Anyway, let me know what you think, and what the little adventure that is Trip's idea should be!


	12. Archer's Visit Part 3

A/N: Sorry about the wait! My life just got away from me! Anyway, let me know what you guys think!

Chapter 12

It was dark as the group left the museum. Without warning, Archer's stomach let out a grumble. Trip's head turned quickly in his direction, a grin spreading straight across his face. T'Pol had also tipped her head in his direction. Trip pointed at Archer, "See, it's the perfect time to go into town! It's way past dinner time." His eyes softened as he looked at T'Pol, in a way that Archer would describe as 'puppy dog.' He had seen that look work on almost every woman he had used it on, but he thought T'Pol could resist. Archer had seen Trip try to use it on her when they had been officers on _Enterprise_ , and she usually stared him down with her stone cold glare. To his surprise, she looked into Trip's eyes for a moment, and dipped her chin down slowly. "Yes!" Trip nearly shouted, and made a triumphant gesture. Archer could almost sense T'Pol rolling her eyes at his gesture, but he could also swear that he saw the beginnings of a smile in the corner of her mouth.

'Can't be.' He said to himself and shook his head. Vulcans did not express their emotions... yet again. He had seen T'Pol change so much since she and Trip had grown closer. Trip was not one to hide what he was feeling. And the interactions he had seen at the house, it wouldn't surprise him if T'Pol was a whole lot more expressive than he thought she was. They were standing fairly closely now, so close that if Trip leaned down just a little… he was surprised no one was suspicious something was going on between these two. He waited for them to move on their own, but they continued staring at each other, almost like they had forgotten they were in public. He couldn't help his own small smile from growing as he moved to stand closer to them. He balled up his fist, and coughed loudly into it. Finally, they looked away from each other, Trip's face started to redden, while T'Pol attempted to look nonplussed about the situation. "So, where's a good place that we can get a quick bite?" Trip shook his head a little, like he was casting off a fog.

"There is a restaurant that is frequented by aliens close to our current position." Trip and Archer's eyebrows rose at the word 'aliens', but they supposed on this planet they were the ones considered alien. Archer made the gesture 'lead the way.' T'Pol stepped forward, and the two men stepped into formation behind her. They let a few feet grow between them and T'Pol before Archer turned to Trip, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"So, what exactly happened back there?" He asked, taking a bit of pleasure at Trip's squirm. Trip placed his hand behind his head, trying to cast off the question.

"Don't know what'cha mean." Trip mumbled, his cheeks reddening again. Archer bumped his shoulder into Trip's.

"Sure you don't." He even threw in a wink, which caused Trip to blush even deeper. "But seriously, what was that?" Trip raised an eyebrow, almost to say, 'do you really want to know?'. Archer raised his hands in defeat, with a sigh. "Fine, I guess if you don't want to tell me, that's your choice. Too bad I can't order you to anymore." Trip smiled.

"Maybe one day cap'n."

X

"Well, that was… interesting." Archer said, sitting down on a chair with a plop.

"What, the part where ya got hit on by a man, or the part where ya didn't know what exactly ya were eating?" Trip chuckled, and sat next to his former superior officer. Archer ran a hand through his hair, looking confused and disgruntled. Trip's face fell slightly when he realized Archer wasn't looking amused. "What's wrong cap'n?" Archer looked up quickly, wondering if he could get out of telling his friends the problem. No such luck, as he caught T'Pol's eyes. He sighed, and leaned back into his seat.

"When T'Pol said this restaurant was frequented by aliens, I assumed that meant human. I was not prepared for all the species I didn't recognize." He stopped here, but there was more behind his disgruntlement, and his friends were not about him to stop short of telling them the real problem. "It feels like Earth hasn't gone far enough. _Enterprise_ has made strides in space exploration, but she was only one ship. And even when we made contact, it frequently ended in gaining an enemy instead of an ally."

"Captain, Vulcan has been involved in space exploration considerably longer than Earth has. It would make sense then, that Vulcan has had considerably more first contacts than Earth." T'Pol supplied, positioning herself into the seat across from Archer and Trip. She put her hand on her belly as she positioned herself. Both Archer and Trip watched her warily until she was comfortably in her chair.

"I understand that T'Pol, but Earth doesn't even have a rule book like the Vulcans do. All captains are out there for themselves, to do in the situation what makes sense at the time. Maybe someone who has been out there can help new captains and crews by making a rulebook about what to do in certain situations. That way a captain doesn't have to wonder what to do, they will already know what to do." Trip raised an eyebrow, and exchanged a look with T'Pol, who also had an eyebrow raised. Archer looked between the two of them. "What, me?" He pointed at himself.

"Yeah, cap'n. Like you said, you would be the first admiral with experience in the actual field. Ya could make this rule book, and not be one of those admirals who makes rules that he doesn't know what he's talkin' about!"

"I concur Captain. I believe that your experience would be most useful in an administrative position. Especially now that the war is over, it will be imperative to establish rules." Archer seemed lost behind his eyes for a moment.

"I don't… I don't know." He said. Trip patted his shoulder.

"You've got a couple of days cap'n. That's why ya came here, isn't it?" Archer clapped him back, and got up.

"You're right Trip. I think I'm just going to head to bed if that's alright with you two."

"Of course, Captain." T'Pol said, attempting to get up. Archer motioned for her to stay where she was.

"Goodnight." He said, and headed to his room, his head swimming with thoughts.

X

A few hours later, he wasn't sure, he figured he wasn't going to be able to sleep. The more and more he thought about it, the more and more he was convinced becoming and admiral would be the right idea. But a part of him did not want to leave flying around space. His sense of adventure would be squashed sitting in a chair. Why should others have all the fun, when he had been through the program that made this space travel possible? He pushed himself up in bed. Yet again, he had already achieved so much. And he knew exactly what they were going through; a rule book wasn't such a bad idea. With a disgruntled grunt, he threw his sheets off his feet. If he was going to be awake worrying, he might as well be worrying over a cup of coffee. He made his way to the kitchen, without running into the other occupants of the house. 'at least I don't have to explain myself yet.' He thought, holding the cup between his hands, and then beginning to make his way back to his room. When he had almost made his way back to his room, he heard whispering coming from the living room. He had the feeling that they were talking about him, but he shouldn't listen. It could be private. He attempted to push his curiosity to the back of his mind, but suddenly, he found himself stalking his way to the living room, and hiding in the shadows out of view. Trip and T'Pol were sitting next to each other on the couch, talking.

"I can't believe ya felt the baby move earlier!" Trip exclaimed, looking down at her belly. "I didn't know that you could project those kinds of feelings through the bond!" T'Pol looked amused.

"I apologize for not just telling you, but the captain was present. I did not find it appropriate to bring up some topics in his presence."

"I know, it's alright." Trip said. They sat in silence, seemingly content. Just as Archer began to move, Trip spoke up suddenly.

"Do ya think on Earth, that half human and half other species babies will ever be accepted?" He asked, looking off into the distance. Almost as if he could feel T'Pol's question, he clarified, "I don't mean our baby. Cause no one knows our baby's not fully Vulcan, but I mean, in general. Earth has come so far, but just think about it. I didn't respect other cultures at first, I messed up a lot over the years."

"Earth just needs more experience in space travel, Trip. This ignorance will be overcome. It exists on Vulcan as well." Trip nodded, still distracted.

"It's kina inevitable that species would get together, ya know? But I guess if you haven't experienced meeting other species, you wouldn't know." He sighed. "I just wish people could see people not as a species, but simply as a person." 

"Perhaps one-day Captain Archer can help Earth begin this understanding."

"Yeah, maybe." Suddenly, he perked up. "T'Pol, is the baby kicking now?" He almost giggled, T'Pol's chin dipped. Trip gently reached out a hand, and put it on her stomach. There was a moment of silence, and then Trip exclaimed. "The baby kicked my hand!" He looked gently down at the tummy, and with his hand still on T'Pol's stomach, he put his face down closely to the stomach and said, "hi baby, this is your daddy. I love you very much, and can't wait to meet you." Then he leaned back up, and kissed T'Pol quickly.

Archer backed up from this scene slowly, his mind now set. He knew was his decision was, his friends had solidified it.

A/N: Let me know what you guys think!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Again, sorry about the wait. I started my Masters, so life is going to be crazy for a few years.

Chapter 13

Trip and T'Pol were laying in their bed, awake, but not speaking. He had his hand on her belly, looking intensely at it. Then he looked up and T'Pol and whispered, "Do ya think the baby knows who I am?" T'Pol raised an eyebrow at his strange question. It was not the first strange question Trip had asked, in fact, the farther her pregnancy progressed, the stranger his questions had become.

"Trip, I do not believe the baby has enough intellect to comprehend you are its father. The baby is not even born yet." T'Pol answered, confused. Trip rolled his eyes.

"I know, I'm just sayin' that human babies know voices by now in the womb. Maybe the baby knows my voice or somethin'" T'Pol mulled this over.

"I do believe that Vulcan children are the same. Each voice has a different pitch; Vulcan hearing can pick up these slight differences." Trip nodded at this, another question quelled for the time being. His hand remained on her stomach, but she did not attempt to move it. At the beginning of her pregnancy she had been cautious of him touching her stomach often, she was not fond of physical touch. But as her pregnancy progressed she had come to appreciate the gesture. It was clear to her that on Earth fathers connected with their unborn children in this manner. Had Trip mated with a human woman, it was likely he would be making the same gestures if not more. He put his ear down to her stomach and listened for a moment. He had only made this gesture once or twice before, and she was unsure of what he believed he could gain from it. Suddenly, he said,

"Hi baby. I'm ya daddy. I don't know how long ya've got in there, but I can't wait to meet ya." T'Pol felt a rush of affection for Trip, part of it her own, and part of it with a different flavor than her thoughts. Trip looked up and grinned, he had felt it too. "Was that the baby's feelins?" T'Pol dipped her chin down slightly, amused by his reaction. "The baby does know ma voice!" He almost yelled, looking at her stomach again. T'Pol let him stay in that position for a few minutes more before finally deciding it was time to begin their day. She placed her hand on the back of Trip's head, fingering some of his hair. He looked up, then slowly removed his hand.

"Today is the day the captain will make his announcement." She said, Trip nodded.

"Hard to believe he's gonna be an admiral. A damn good one though." He said, sounding dejected. T'Pol knew that he was not jealous of Captain Archer's advancement, but moments like this reminded him of the life he left behind.

"I concur. I am also certain that you will be an adequate father as well." Trip smiled, although it did not quite reach his eyes.

"Well, I'll leave ya to your mediation." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, and then left the room. T'Pol watched him leaving the room, her thoughts jumbled. She pushed the covers off of her feet, and then attempted to get out of bed. It was more difficult to get out of bed now that her pregnancy was farther along. Her center of gravity had changed, and attempting to stand was more difficult than before she was pregnant. Trip had offered several times to help her get out of bed, but she did not want him to realize how much of a difficult time she was having. He was always reminding her that she was pregnant, but she did not want to give the satisfaction of telling her she was too pregnant to do something. Finally, after a struggle, she was in her mediation corner. As she closed her eyes, she wondered how exactly she was going to get off the floor when she was done.

XXX

T'Pol made her way to the kitchen a few minutes before the scheduled announcement. The media outlets were buzzing with excitement at what the announcement could be. Some postulated that Archer was leaving Star Fleet altogether, other outlets were gossiping that he had gotten an alien pregnant and it was just coming to light now. At that suggestion, T'Pol had turned to Trip, but before she could even make a remark, he said lowly, "Don't even go there." He handed her a cup of tea before sitting across from her.

"I was not going to say anything." T'Pol said, taking a delicate sip of her tea.

"Yeah ya were. I can feel your thoughts ya know." Trip said, taking a sip of his own coffee. "And by the way, the only alien I got pregnant is sittin' across from me." There was a moment of silence as T'Pol took another sip, uncertain if she should say the remark Trip thought she would make.

"That is true. However, I am certain a human I knew was known as a 'ladies' man' when I was on _Enterprise._ " Trip almost spit his coffee out, and sputtered over his words. T'Pol took some pride in his reaction, and stared straight at the monitor as if none of the interaction had taken place. When Trip regained his speech, he stumbled out,

"Ladies' man? Where'd ya learn that term?" T'Pol turned her head slightly towards him.

"When you had the second encounter with an alien, the princess Kaitaama, Lieutenant Reed made the remark that you always were a ladies' man." Trip gulped as his cheeks began turning pink.

"Look…"  
"It is fine Trip. It is my understanding that human males need to copulate quite often with different partners." Trip seemed relieved at her reaction, but then her words sank in.

"Hey!" T'Pol raised an eyebrow, challenging him to say he hadn't copulated with several women. He looked down into his coffee and muttered, "it wasn't that many."

"If the announcement was about an illegitimate child, I doubt it would belong to the captain." T'Pol said, and took another sip of her tea.

"Shut up." Trip said, but he knew that she was just teasin' him.

Suddenly the captain's face appeared on the screen. He seemed a little nervous, but cleared his throat and began his speech. "Good people of the federation, my name is Jonathan Archer, many of you know me from the Romulan War. The Federation has asked me to become an admiral, and relinquish my adventures in the galaxy. After much consideration, I have accepted this offer." He paused, and took a deep breath. "Although I am saddened to have seen my last of space I am elated to be able to help the next generation of explorers. A lot has happened since I began my journey into space, some good, some bad. We have lost friends and family, and gained friends that we never would have met without space exploration. As an admiral, I promise to continue my mission of first contact, but I add a new mission. This new mission is accepting other species for who they are. No more prejudice or discrimination. I promise to follow this mission until it has been accomplished." He adjusted his collar, his new mark of status visible. "I Admiral Archer, will not be a face forgotten, but a man that will continue to help all of the Federation." Then the screen went black.

"Well, at least we know that he didn't get someone pregnant." Trip said, and turned off the monitor. He was sure that the media was eating this up; talkin about what Archer should be an admiral, why he shouldn't. What he had done wrong, what he had done right. And the fact that Archer had talked about accepting other species. Trip and T'Pol knew he was talkin about half species. The others may not know that yet, and when they did, who knows what their reaction would be. He stood in front of the monitor for a second, before turning back to T'Pol. "So, what was the plan today? We couldn't possibly just be watchin' that interview and that's it. Ya don't have to go to work."

"I was thinking about decorating the baby's room." She said. Trip looked a little shocked, she had never brought up this idea before.

"But we don't got paint or anythin'" T'Pol nodded.

"That is correct, however my childhood room is still full of belongings."

"So we need ta clean it out?" He thought it over. "Let's do it."

XXX

T'Pol could not lean over as they cleaned her old room so she sat on the old bed as Trip picked up each object. He seemed to be invested in every object. She was unclear why; these objects had no use, and were quite old. He picked up some of the awards she had one, and turned to her in excitement.

"Look at that! Ya were smart even at what, five years old?" T'Pol reached for the award. It was the first award she had ever won. She had been so proud, she had studied for weeks, and when she had won she had boasted. As a result, her mother had taken the award away, telling her that when she had gotten her emotions under control again she may have it back. Even then, she had not been able to control her emotions as much as her mother insisted she should. She placed the award down in a box that said, 'throw away'. Trip watched her do so, his eyes scrunched in confusion, but he did not ask any questions. They continued sorting through her old belongings, him handing her objects and her putting them in the keep or throw away piles. The throw away pile was substantially bigger than the keep pile. Then, Trip grabbed a picture frame, and looked at it a long time. "Is this you and your parents?" He asked. In the picture was a small girl, and two adults, one male, one female. The small girl stood in front of them, looking up at the male. T'Pol gently grabbed the picture from Trip, and traced the figure of the male with her finger.

"Yes. This is the last picture of our family intact." She traced her father's features with her finger. "Father died when I was a child. My memories of him are quite distant." Trip pushed himself to his knees so that he was even to her lap. He looked between the picture and T'Pol's face.

"Ya don't really talk about him." He said. The only times he had heard about her father was when he had visited before her wedding on Vulcan.

"Mother would become quite agitated when father was mentioned. I did not want to cause her discomfort." Trip reached for her hand, and she grasped it back tightly. She struggled to suppress the emotions the picture brought up.

"I promise I'll be there for this baby." Trip said, not realizing he had even had that thought. T'Pol looked up quickly from the picture. "I won't die, I promise."

"But you will die before I do." She whispered. They had spoken about this before. T'Pol did not want to lose him, and that is why she had pushed him away so many times. She knew that he would die before she did, and she did not want to live with the pain. Trip released her hand for a moment so he could hop on the bed next to her. When he did that, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"I can't promise I won't die before ya do. But I do promise I'll stay as long as I possibly can." He kissed the top of her head. "How about I grab us a snack and then we keep trying to clean out the room?"

"That would be appreciated." Trip grinned, and kissed her quickly before jumping off the bed. As he approached the doorway, T'Pol called to him.

"Trip, I believe you will be more than an adequate father." His grin reached both sides of his faces as he almost floated to the kitchen.

A/N: Sorry if that seemed random! As I wrote, it came. Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Sorry about the wait everyone! Being a Masters student has sucked away all my time.

Chapter 14

Trip could not contain his mirth at watching T'Pol attempting to stand after her meditation. She was rocking back and forth attempting to create a momentum that would help her to stand. Over the last few weeks her already large stomach had ballooned faster than in the preceding months. Trip had offered her help many times in the past, and she had always declined, with a cold glare. And that was why he was leaning up against the door to their room, with his arms crossed, instead of helping her up. T'Pol finally sighed, and stopped moving. She looked up at Trip without a pleading look, but with almost one of defeat. If she thought she was going to get out of this that easily, she didn't know him that well at all. "Havin' trouble, huh?" He asked casually, grinning at her. T'Pol's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I seem to be experiencing trouble with my new gravitational pull. I am certain that after a few minutes wait I will be able to overcome this deficiency." She put her hands on the ground next to her, looking like she was about to brace herself to get up. Trip sighed.

"Oh, that's too bad. Ya see, I was gonna help you get up, but if you're alright, then I'll just leave. I promised a neighbor to fix their resequencer anyway." He went to turn, slowly, knowing T'Pol's next move. He heard a sigh, and smiled to himself.

"Trip." He turned back around as he always did when she said his name. T'Pol now had her own arms crossed over her chest, looking down at her stomach. "Would you please help me to stand?" She asked in a small voice, that Trip easily interpreted as embarrassed.

"Sure." He easily responded, and bounded across the room. He placed an arm around her middle, and T'Pol put a hand on his arm, pushing herself up as Trip pulled her up. After a second, she was standing, with Trip catching his breath quickly, his arm still around her. "See, that wasn't too difficult." T'Pol moved out of his grasp, and sat quietly on their bed. She placed a hand on the top of her stomach, and looked quietly down at it. "What's wrong?" Trip asked, now concerned.

"I am not used to being… needy. I have always been self- sufficient. Relying on someone else, even someone I greatly trust, is not something I easily accept." Trip nodded, and sat down next to her.

"You're pregnant, T'Pol. Needing a little help is nothing to be ashamed of." He held up his hand, stopping T'Pol from starting her usual rebuttal. "Hell, ya've helped me more than I can ever repay. That's what bein' a family is all about. Give and take. I help ya, ya help me." T'Pol looked up from her stomach. "We are a family ya know. We're gonna be parents. And I want our daughter or son to know that mommy and daddy are not ashamed to ask for help." T'Pol nodded, lost in thought.

She knew that Trip was right. Her pregnancy was making it difficult to do the daily tasks she had become accustomed to. She could not even lean down to pick up what she had dropped on the floor. And yet, an illogical part of her did not find this new reality acceptable. She was an able woman; she had been a member of a covert operation; and a member of Star Fleet during some of their most trying times. Admitting defeat over not being able to get off of her own bed did not seem to be an acceptable alternative. T'Pol felt Trip place his arm around her gently, gauging the emotions that were emanating off her body.

"Look," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm not sayin' you're an invalid. I'm just sayin' that somethings are just more difficult when ya've got a belly in the way." T'Pol glared a little at this, but did not comment. "I'm gonna try to stay out of your way… for the most part. But I want ya to ask me for help if you can't get off the floor during meditation, or if you can't reach somethin' because our son or daughter gets in the way." T'Pol tipped her head to the side for a moment.

"And if I decline this offer?" Trip chuckled.

"I'm just gonna do it anyway."

"I anticipated that would be your answer." Trip laughed at this. She tipped her head again. "I agree to this offer on one condition; that if I ask you to not intervene, then you will not." Trip's eyes darkened as he considered this response. He rubbed his chin with his free hand.

"Alright, but I have one condition then. If I think that you're just embarrassed to ask for help, then I'm going to help anyway." T'Pol contemplated his condition. It seemed to almost contradict her condition. And yet, Trip knew her better than anyone else. When she needed her seclusion, he would respect her wishes, even if he wanted more answers. However; he also knew that she would continue to push herself when it was not in her best interest. Trip knew that she would do the same for him. She decided that this trust between them was enough to agree to these contradictory terms.

"I agree to these conditions." She held out her hand to seal the agreement, when Trip simply laughed and pulled her in for kiss that made them forget their disagreement quite quickly.

XXXXX

T'Pol awoke with a start, and looked around the room quickly. It was early morning, from the light gently pouring into the house. Trip's breathing was consistent next to her, a reassurance that her jolt had not awoken him from his much needed sleep. She placed a hand on the area that had caused her the quick jolt of pain. It was not a hard kick from the child; as she was able to distinguish all of the different kinds of kicks the child could produce. No, this was a different pain. Of what she was not certain. She could no longer sleep, but could not meditate either. Without Trip being awake, if she meditated, she would not be able to stand again. She had conceded that her present condition made it too difficult to do certain tasks. She did not want to disturb Trip, but this pain was unknown to her. She decided that if the pain were to happen again in the night she would contact Dr. Phlox by herself. If it did not occur during the night, she would inform Trip in the morning and discuss what the next steps could be. She closed her eyes and breathed gently, slipping into unconsciousness.

When she awoke next, Trip was gone, likely attending to his daily tasks. He was often working on a neighbors' appliances; who had taken notice of his skills. She pushed herself up and assessed herself. She did not often sleep in passed 600, and had already meditated by this point in the morning. However; fatigue was still present in her newly woken state. She knew what these occurrences could be a sign of. Although she had had months to process this; she suddenly felt overwhelmed. If only Trip were here, so that she could meditate. As though sensing her thoughts, Trip's head popped from around the door. He seemed to be assessing if she was awake or not. When he saw her, he pushed the door farther open.

"Hey, you're awake!" T'Pol tipped her head in annoyance. "So, ya slept in, huh? Doin okay?" He sounded concerned when T'Pol did not answer.

"I have something I wish to discuss with you. However; I must meditate first." He nodded, his face coloring in concern.

"I'll come back in half an hour?" T'Pol's chin dipped as Trip moved across the room to offer her his arm to help her off the bed.

When she had finished meditating and Trip had helped her off the floor, they sat in the living room across from each other. Although the meditation had helped her bring her emotions under control again, she was having trouble suppressing the fear as it began bubbling up again. Trip could feel her anxiety growing. "What's goin' on?" He asked, his own voice tinged with fear.

"I believe it is time we contact Phlox about delivery." Trip's eyes widened at her statement. His mouth opened and closed rapidly.

"But…. But…" T'Pol raised an eyebrow delicately. Trip ran his thumb over his mouth. "I see. Ya think that it might be commin soon, and want to contact Phlox before it's actually time." He did not need to hear T'Pol's s answer, since he could feel her affirmation through the bond. "What made ya think it might be commin soon anyway?" T'Pol looked away. She did not hide much from Trip when it came to their child. She did not hide much from him personally either. Since the beginning of the bond, it had been difficult to hide anything; and when she did, he had been hurt. She steeled herself against an angry reaction from him when he heard what she had hidden from him.

"I felt a pain this morning, unlike any I have felt before. Although it may not be a sign of the child coming soon, there is no way to be certain that it is not." To her surprise, Trip's voice softened.

"Why didn't ya wake me up when it happened?" T'Pol turned to him.

"I did not want to wake you from much needed sleep." Trip moved from his seat to crouch in front of her. He took her hands in his own.

"If it happens again, wake me up. You and the baby are much more important to me than sleep." He said sincerely.

"Humans need more sleep than Vulcans do, Trip. And I am certain you will not have adequate sleep for many years to come after the child is delivered." He chuckled.

"T'Pol, I haven't gotten adequate sleep in ten years. I think I'm gonna be alright." He ran his thumbs over the top of hands he was still holding. "I'll contact Phlox, alright? He told me he's been preparing an excuse for commin to Vulcan for months."

XXXX

"Ah, Commander, how can I help you?" Phlox asked, his grin taking up all of his face on the screen. Trip could feel his anxiety growing. He cleared his throat.

"Hey doc. It's about your, um, visit to Vulcan." Phlox's face became serious. "Um, we're not certain if it is exactly the time, but we think it's close."

"Are you certain? If it is not almost time, I cannot arrange another visit." Trip nodded.

"Yeah, we're certain doc. Well, T'Pol is, so I am." Phlox examined Trip's face, and then sighed.

"Alright. Luckily, your timing is impeccable. There is an interspecies medical exchange occurring on Vulcan within the next week. I do believe that I should arrive a few days early, to meet up with some friends that I have not seen in quite some time." Trip grinned.

"Thanks doc." The doctor examined the man that was on the screen in front of him. When he had suggested Vulcan neuropressure, he had never imagined this outcome. He would never have guessed that he would have helped a human and a Vulcan procreate. This work he had accomplished could never be shared, since Commander Tucker was officially dead. To some of those dedicated in the field, this would be a travesty. What was the meaning of doing work if it was not shared? And yet, to him, that was the least concerning matter to him. He had watched these two dance around each other for years; had watched T'Pol's badly hidden anguish over losing Trip, and had seen the two of them go through a pain that no parent should experience. The man he had in front of them was about to go through yet another transformation in his life. Phlox felt a rush of affection for this young man that he had watched grow and learn, and gone through so much pain. He was about to experience the greatest joy of all.

"You are going to be an excellent father, Commander." He said suddenly, not even consciously aware of his own words.

"Thanks, doc." Trip said again. "It feels like when I found out about Elizabeth, except a little bit scarier." He chuckled. Phlox remembered. "I mean, sure, I had a child I didn't even know existed. But I didn't have this whole process, you know? She was already in the world when I met her. I just got to be her dad." He sighed sadly. "I'm just worried about messing this up." When Phlox opened his mouth in protest, all parents worry about messing up, Trip interrupted him. "I just mean that, all this 'cloak and dagger' crap. They might get confused about why they can't tell their friends that I'm their daddy. I shouldn't have pulled anyone into this mess."

"It is too late for that commander." Trip looked down at his lap. "Have no fear. They are half Vulcan you know." Trip did not respond. "Yes, they may be confused, but with the loving guidance of you and T'Pol they will understand. And when they are ready, you can share with them your journey."

"Really?" Trip asked in a small voice, afraid this sounded too good to be true.

"Have I ever steered you wrong before?" Phlox answered. Trip looked up, a glimmer in his eye.

"Well, it was your idea for me to try Vulcan neuropressure." Phlox's grin grew on his face again.

"You were having trouble sleeping commander." He responded, a similar glimmer in his eye. "I should be in town for the medical exchange in two days." And then he clicked off. Although he had been quite upbeat with the former commander, he did have his own concerns. A Vulcan woman had never before given birth to a half human child. If all went well, then the child should be close enough to a Vulcan child during delivery. If not… well, he feared for T'Pol's safety if that was the case.

XXXX

If Trip didn't know better, he would say that T'Pol was nesting. And he did know better. Phlox was ready to arrive any minute now; and T'Pol was busy in the nursery that was now almost completely done. Over the last few days she had insisted that the house was not neat enough, and had rearranged the rooms. He had watched her fold and refold the clothes for the baby at least four times in the last day and a half. But he didn't bother her about it. His mama had told him that when a pregnant woman was nesting, it was best to stay out of her way. And since the pregnant nesting woman was T'Pol, he knew that he must definitely stay out of her way if he intended to be alive for the birth of his child. "Phlox is here." T'Pol said suddenly, pausing in the middle of folding.

"I don't hear any…" There was a loud knock on the front door. ' _curse Vulcan hearing'_ , he thought, as he made his way to the front door. When he opened it, he was slightly taken aback by the amount of luggage the doctor carried with him. Although, from years of knowing the doctor, he shouldn't have been. There were at least fifteen suitcases, and then about seven other boxes full of supplies. The luggage lay around the doctor, almost encasing him. The only thing the doctor was holding was as stuffed animal. He greeted Trip with a large grin.

"Ah, commander!" The doctor greeted. His smile faded, and he leaned in. "I mean, Mr. Kenmore." He whispered. "It is good to see you!"

"Good to see you too doc." Trip hugged Phlox quickly. As they pulled away, Trip glanced quickly at the stuffed animal in the doctors arms. The doctor followed his glance and the held out the stuffed animal.

"Ah yes, I have brought this animal as a present for the child. I understand it is customary on Earth for a child to receive a 'teddy bear' when they are born." Trip took the teddy bear from the doctor, and felt himself get a little teary eyed. It reminded him of a teddy bear his sister had. She never went anywhere without it, even took it to college with her. He was sure that his parents now had this teddy bear, one of the few precious belongings that they still had left of her.

"Thanks doc, it's perfect." He choked out. The doctor smiled sadly at him, and then montioned into the house.

"Is it alright if I find T'Pol? I have a few things that I need to discuss with her."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. She's in the nursery. Third door on the right in the hallway." Trip said, still staring at the teddy bear in his hands. After the doctor left to go into the house, Trip looked up, and realized the doctor had left all of this supplies outside. ' _fantastic'._ He thought, stuffed the teddy bear under his arm and began to grab the suitcases.

By the time that had brought in all the suitcases, he was out of breath. _'I really need to get in shape'_ he thought, as he headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. On the way, he passed the nursery, the door was closed. That was strange, as T'Pol rarely, if ever closed the nursery door. Although he strained to hear what the two were saying, all he was picking up were whispers. After he got the glass of the water, he stopped by the nursery door, and knocked on it.

"Come in." T'Pol's gentle voice responded. As he opened the door, he noted that T'Pol was sitting in the rocking chair, while Phlox was standing near the crib, looking quite concerned. This brought Trip to a sudden stop.

"What's goin on?" He asked, fear dripping into his tone.

"Well commander, it seems that you will be a father sooner than you thought."

A/N: Next chapter, will be the baby's arrival! Tell me what you thought of this chapter!


	15. Baby's Arrival

Chapter 15

Trip stared blankly at Phlox and T'Pol as he absorbed the words. He felt woozy, and reached blindly for the door frame. "What do ya mean, 'sooner than I thought?'" He asked weakly. T'Pol and Phlox exchanged a quick glance, and T'Pol looked suspiciously guilty to Trip. "Wait, were ya hidin' somethin' from me?" He accused. It was Phlox who answered.

"She did not 'hide' anything Commander. Merely… did not emphasize as much as she could have." Trip narrowed his eyes, still feeling suspicious. Phlox looked uncomfortable as he realized he was caught in the middle of a couple's dispute. He shifted his feet back and forth awkwardly, still feeling the need to fill the commander in. "She told you that she was having pains, that is true. However; the pains have been on and off for a few days, and very strong. In fact, she was in the early stages of labor. While she has progressed in the last few days, I believe that the labor will increase within the next day or so." Trip was snapped out of his glare with that statement.

"Ya mean…" Phlox nodded. "Wow." He placed his hand over his mouth. Phlox looked between the couple, and realized that maybe he should not be there in that moment.

"Is there a… room prepared for the birth?" He asked.

"Yes. You may use the master bedroom." T'Pol answered gently. "The bed was changed this morning. You may move whatever furniture you must." Trip nodded in agreement.

"Then I shall move my equipment into the room. I will be back." He said, and quickly ducked out of the room.

The anger Trip had felt had now quieted to worry. Although they had prepared for months for this moment, it still felt like it had suddenly jumped upon them. Were they ready to be parents? What if something went wrong in delivery? What if people started poking around because of the baby? What if Koss took back his promise and declared the baby as his own? These questions were flying through his thoughts so fast that it was making him dizzy. Then, he felt T'Pol twinge in his mind. While outwardly T'Pol did not react, he could feel her pain through the bond. Was that what she had been feeling for days? Why hadn't she said anything? He walked over to the rocking chair, and placed a hand on the top. "Ya doin ok?" T'Pol did not respond. So he moved to the front of the chair and crouched in front of her. "Why didn't ya say anything?" T'Pol's eyes were unfocused, not looking at him, not looking at anything. He put his hand on her knee and shook a little. After a few seconds her eyes focused on him. "Ya ok?"

"I am adequate." She said slowly, now obviously in pain.

"The hell ya are. Why didn't ya tell me before?" She shook her head slightly.

"Vulcans do not speak of it. The birthing process is sacred." Trip grunted. Another Vulcan custom that he didn't know, and right now was not a good time to learn about it.

"T'Pol, I get that ya need to handle this in your own way. But I could be helpin' ya." Her eyes widened, either from pain, or from surprise. He felt another wave of pain come over him, and tightened his hand on her leg. She breathed unevenly.

"Vulcan. Fathers. Do. Not. Attend. The. Birth." She managed to utter through what seemed like gritted teeth.

"T'Pol. I'm not Vulcan." He stated simply. "Guess we shoulda talked about this earlier." He chuckled. "We thought we had all the time in the world." T'Pol closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm the baby's father. I wanna be there." He stated.

"Trip." T'Pol said with her eyes still closed. "Please get Dr. Phlox. If I do not go the bedroom now, I believe I never will." Trip jumped up from his spot on the floor.

"Ya got it." And ran out of the room.

XXXX

He could see why Vulcans liked to do this alone. Although she had been in the transition stage for hours now, there was still no sign of the baby. Phlox said this was normal however. On top of that, he could see T'Pol losing her grip on controlling her emotions. No one could blame a woman in labor for losing her temper, but leave to Vulcans to want to keep their pristine image. As another wave passed, he pressed a cold cloth to her forehead. "Doc, isn't it time to give her the hypospray?" He almost begged. The hypospray was only to be given when it was time to push. It was meant to help mothers have the energy for the last bend of labor. Phlox shook his head.

"As I have told you Commander, T'Pol will let us know when the moment is right. Until then, the answer is no." Trip let out a guttural sound.

"It is alright. It should be another moment before the pain comes again." T'Pol suddenly said. Trip grabbed the box of ice and handed it to her. To his surprise, she picked up a piece with her hand and began to chew on it. He felt her tense up again and grabbed the ice back.

"Wow, they're really pilin' on there." He brushed some of her bangs off her face, looking at Phlox worriedly.

"No do not worry, Commander. That is a good sign." He gestured to the bottom of the sheets. "May I?" He asked T'Pol. She nodded weakly, and he went under the sheets for a quick moment to check. "Ah yes, things are moving along nicely." He came out from under the sheet, and patted it back down to the bottom of the bed. "I believe that the baby will be here in a matter of hours." Trip muttered under his breath.

"That's what you said when you got here." And handed T'Pol the ice as another wave hit.

XXXX

Well, now he knew why Phlox had said to wait until T'Pol was ready to use the hypospray. The waves of pain had only grown over the last few hours. He had offered his hand as support an hour before, and to his surprise, she had taken it. Now, he was regretting that decision. Her Vulcan strength was making her grip almost break his hand; although if she was a human woman, it might have been the same at this moment. "Give me the hypospray." She said as calmly as she could. Phlox sputtered.

"Just let me check…"

"Now." She said a little stronger this time.

"Um, doc. Just do what she says." Phlox nodded, and applied the hypospray. Then he made another check.

"Alright, T'Pol, just hold on a moment." He put on an outfit and longer gloves. He moved his table of instruments closer to the bed, and lifted the sheet again. "Alright, when you feel pressure, I need you to push." There was a pause, and then, "Push, push T'Pol." Her head fell back for a moment, before another call of "Push, push."

"I believe that is what I am doing." She said as she took another breath and pressed her chin to her chest. Her hand was still clutching Trip's tightly. He was glancing between T'Pol and Phlox.

"The baby's head is out!" Phlox yelled. "You will feel some burning here, do not push again until I tell you. Just breathe." T'Pol followed his orders, her eyes closed. They could hear Phlox sucking out some fluid's from the baby's mouth and nose. Trip leaned into her temple with his nose.

"The baby's almost here. Ya've done amazing."

"Alright, just another push or so, and the baby will be out. Just push!" Phlox called, and T'Pol put her chin to her chest again and pushed. A moment later they heard a cry. Phlox's grin broke out from one side of his face to the other. "It's a girl." He said. "Would you like to cut the umbilical cord, daddy?" T'Pol let go of Trip's hand as Phlox was handing him the instrument. "Just here." Phlox said, and indicated the spot. Trip snipped the cord, and suddenly, the baby was disconnected from T'Pol. Phlox wrapped the baby up in a blanket and handed her to Trip. He looked down into the face of his new born daughter, tears forming in his eyes.

"Hi, beautiful." He whispered, feeling the tears beginning to flow from the corner of his eyes. "I'm your daddy." He lifted a finger to her ears, which were formed to a perfect point. He felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart, she looked just like her sister. "I'm gonna make sure nothin happens to you." He promised his daughter. His daughter. He couldn't believe it. After everything that they had gone through, losing baby Elizabeth, the failed IVF, the long pregnancy, it seemed like a dream. If someone had told him seven years ago, this would be happening, he'd have sent them to sick bay. And yet, here he was. The baby yawned suddenly, her little hand opening and closing slightly as she did so.

"May I see our daughter?" T'Pol asked, her voice sounding stronger than it had in days. With a start, Trip shyly grinned, and walked to the side of her bed, gently handing her their baby. She settled the baby in her arms, looking like she had done it hundreds of times. She looked down into the face of their daughter, her face softening slightly. "She does resemble Elizabeth in some ways." She remarked, also tracing the shell of their daughter's ears with her finger.

Phlox, who had been watching the whole exchange, softly excused himself from the room. There would be time to weigh and measure the child. Right now, he decided, the little family deserved to relish in their new addition.

XXXX

After T'Pol had had some time to rest, Phlox had performed the normal testing. The baby weighed 3.2 kg, and was 50.8 cm in length. All the tests performed came out normal. "Very good." Phlox said, handing the child back to her father. "She appears to be in perfect health." Trip took a deep breath.

"No problems because of her mixed heritage?" He asked, afraid of the answer. Phlox shook his head.

"None whatsoever. Her Vulcan half appears to be the dominant half, meaning that she should have no problems."

"That's good, that's good." Trip said distractedly, rocking the baby back and forth.

"Commander, does the child have a name, or should I just put on her birth certificate that her name is her?" Phlox asked, half seriously, half-jokingly.

"We have been discussing names for quite a while, but have only just decided on her name." T'Pol said, but did not supply the name.

"Her name is T'Mir. After T'Pol's great grandmother." Trip said, not looking up. "And unofficially, her middle name is Elizabeth. And her last name, Tucker."

"Commander."

"I know that it can't be put like that on her birth certificate, but that's her name." He knew it was dumb, but she was his daughter. She should know that.

"Commander, I will make a birth certificate with that information. What I will do is fake paperwork for others to find. She will have access to her real one when she is old enough to understand. The public will have access to one that says T'Pol is her mother, and her father is unknown. That is the only way to protect your secret." Trip nodded. "She will know the truth. And all of those who know your secret will know the truth. That is all that matters."

"That's what I keep tryin to tell myself."

XXXXX

Thanks for reading! Drop me a review! And see you next time!


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 16

Trip woke with a start from a nightmare. His brow was soaked in sweat as well as a slick of sweat on his back. He ran a hand through his hair, breath hitching as he did so. *deep slow breath*, he told himself, forcing the breath to slow as he thought over his dream. It wasn't that having nightmares was uncommon for him, they had been on and off throughout his undercover missions as well as in the years following. But this nightmare was different, this was personal and real. Trip glanced over at T'Pol, who still appeared to be in deep sleep. Her hand was curled under her face, and she was breathing steadily. Normally these kinds of dreams would disturb her, but she had been brought to the brink of exhaustion and back. T'Mir was still a newborn, and demanded the attention of her mother. He always knew that having a child would be exhausting, but it was just like everyone said, ya didn't know what it was gonna be like till ya were there.

That wasn't to say they didn't love being parents. Hell, it was the thing they had looked forward to for years, before they even knew that they wanted children. He smiled sadly. They never got to experience this stage with Baby Elizabeth. They just got the cuddles and little smiles. That bastard Paxton got the late nights with feedings and crying. He had gotten to be a father where Trip had not. Well, mulling this over wasn't going to any good. Trip gently pulled back the covers and got out of bed. He stretched, feeling his muscles groan in protest. It was times like this that he remembered his body was aging. It wasn't as spry as it used to be, which he still wasn't about to accept. He wasn't planning on slowing down any time soon, being was a new father and all. And anyway, T'Pol was more than 30 years older than he was, and she looked like she hadn't aged a day. Vulcan aging be damned, he wasn't getting old! After finishing this internal argument with himself, it was time to begin his day, because sleep was for the weak anyway. One final glance at T'Pol to check that she was still asleep, and he squeezed through their door, gently closing the door. At least one of them should get decent sleep while they could.

XXX

Trip had planned on grabbing something to eat before beginning his day, but his feet found their way to T'Mir's nursery. This was not totally surprising, as his thoughts had been all about the baby all night. The irresistible urge hit to just peek in and check on her. There was no reason why she should not be safe, but his instinct to check on her was overwhelming, and the door pushed opened before he had time to think about it. Her room was dark, lit only by the little lights above crib. He and T'Pol had argued about leaving the baby alone in the nursery this early. Human babies often did not move to their own room until they were months old. Vulcan children did it at a few days old. It was thought that this helped a child become independent and learn to control their emotions. They learned that mother and father would not come running if they heard the baby crying, and that they should essentially self soothe. Trip did not entirely agree with this, and after much "discussion", they had, begrudgingly, agreed to a compromise. A few nights out of the week she would sleep in their room, a few in her room. As she got older, she would sleep more frequently in her own room than with her parents. Also, Trip insisted on having a baby monitor in her room. T'Pol reasoned that they did not need one as she had Vulcan hearing, to which Trip had reminded her that he didn't have that hearing, and she wasn't T'Mir's only parent. Even though they had not heard anything from T'Mir that night, he still gingerly walked over to the crib. He was surprised to find T'Mir looking up at him with her bright blue eyes. She did not cry as Trip lowered a finger down to caress her ear. Finally giving into a parental urge, he leaned down and picked her up. She did not make a sound as he cradled her in his arms.

"Hi sweetheart. Ya doin alright?" Trip asked in hushed tones. He brushed the side of her cheek with his forefinger, her head turning in the direction of the cheek touched. "I know ya have had a weird week. Bein' inside mommy and then bein' here. It's a big transition. For us too ya know." T'Mir was looking at him with those big blue eyes that seemed be entranced with his voice. "We are so happy ya are here ya know." With such a willing audience, everything came bubbling up. "I wish ya could've met your sister Elizabeth. She'd be about… 12 years old now. Not sure how old she was exactly, we weren't told when she was born." He couldn't believe Elizabeth would be that old. She'd almost be a teenager. He'd probably have to beat the boys away with a stick. Then again, her mixed heritage would probably be a sticking point for many families here on Vulcan. She was considered an "abomination" by many. She was better than them anyway. He held T'Mir closer, and rocked her. "Ya look a little like her ya know. I guess that's cause ya both look like mommy." He leaned in, as though whispering a secret to her, "don't tell mommy this, but I have always thought your mommy was pretty. And I have always thought you were pretty too." T'Mir's eyes were beginning to close, but he couldn't bring himself to put her back in her crib just yet. He spotted the rocking chair and made his way to it. He maneuvered his way in to the chair, jostling the baby as little as he could. Her eyes were now completely closed, and her breathing steady, as though she had fallen asleep to her father's tale.

"Phlox said I should tell you when ya are older, but there's no better time than the present to practice." He took a deep breath. "I faked my death many years ago. Partly because I wanted to make a big difference, partly because I couldn't stand being around situations that had caused me so much pain. I thought I could get out of it after just a few missions, but I ended up getting sucked into it." He sighed. "I spent more years running from people and just trying to make a difference than with those I really cared about. I almost lost my life more times than I've even told mommy," he furrowed his brow, "don't tell her that." "Anyway… that led to a second death, and well, to this very moment I guess. Ya sister as no less my daughter than ya are, and I hope ya grow up knowing and accepting this. Yes, she was made without our knowledge, but from the moment we found out about her, she was ours. They may have thought they had a bigger claim on her, but they were wrong. And they don't have one of you either." His nightmare was being brought up to the front of his mind without calling it.

T'Mir was in the incubator that Elizabeth had been in the last time they had seen her. There were tubes and IVs sticking out of her arms and legs. She wasn't screaming, but was looking at him with terror in her eyes. Paxton was standing at the head of the incubator and was smiling evilly at Trip. "You thought that you had a chance with this child? How quaint." He took out a vial to draw blood from T'Mir." Trip had reached out a hand but found himself miles from the scene. "She will be used to be the damnation of both the Vulcan and human worlds. Thank you for creating another abomination so I didn't have to!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Trip has screamed, finding himself farther and farther away from his daughter." He had not felt this useless since Elizabeth has died, and it was filling him with dread.

Even now, as he held his daughter securely in his arms, he was filled with the feeling that someone was going to steal her away. He would rather die than have that happen. Trip looked down into the face of his sleeping infant daughter. He had no idea what the future would hold. How she was fit in with other Vulcan children, how she would feel about having lie about her parents for the rest of her life. Maybe one day she'd like to join Starfleet one day, or join the Vulcan high council. All he knew was that her life was full of possibilities, and he was going to make sure that she was given the opportunities that she deserved. He didn't care if that included telling some people where to stuff it, then he would. He had learned over the last fifteen years how to confront Vulcans, and he honestly didn't care how they reacted anymore. He had his family, and he was not about to let anyone get in the way. Trip put T'Mir gently back in her cradle and then went back to the chair just to close his eyes.

XXX

This was the way T'Pol found him hours later. She was filled affection as she watched her mate sleep peacefully for the first time in days. Although she had not shared this with him, she had known of his nightmares. It had kept her wake until her body could no longer take the stress and she fell into a deep sleep. She knew that the nightmare was his to work through, and that she must not interfere not matter how much distress it caused him.

She too, felt distress that they may have taken on a responsibility that was overwhelming to them. However; when she felt her daughter cling to her finger, her mothering instinct took over. She had not known if she could be a mother until she met Elizabeth, and then had not known if she could care for another child as she cared for Elizabeth. T'Mir was a testament that she could.

T'Pol had fought to protect Elizabeth, and although she had died, it had not been for naught. It had made her people begin to become more accepting and had begun talks of the federation. She had lost her daughter, while the federation had gained so much. Now it was time for them to return the favor. She felt emotion flow through her, which was hard to control, and even as she stamped it down, she felt validated in the feeling.

She looked down at T'Mir. "My daughter, as my mother did for me, I shall do for you. I shall guide you in the ways of being a Vulcan. I shall punish you for indiscretions, and I shall compliment you on your accomplishments. I shall be your protector and guide. Unlike my mother, I shall not attempt to guide you into a path I have chosen for you, but a path you choose for yourself. As you are not only Vulcan, but human as well. An example of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Your future is your own. I swear this to you, my daughter." Trip did not stir as she made this oath, but she had no doubt that he had made a similar one to their daughter as well. Perhaps it was a result of all they had been through, perhaps it was because they were simply parents. However, she knew that neither would strive from the promises they made their daughter that day.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"I can't believe we're here." Trip said, looking down at the top of his infant daughter's head. T'Pol raised an eye brow at him under her wide brimmed hat. He repositioned T'Mir in her baby carrier that was attached to his chest. She did not awaken, but yawned in her sleep, and moved her head to the side. The pointed tip of her ear was just visible under her baby bonnet, and he reached down to adjust it slightly. He didn't want it to get burnt, or for anyone to make judgments. T'Pol was technically here on official business, but since they were out and about, she had covered her ears with the hat.

"Indeed. I did not believe you would ever see Earth again." T'Pol said, suddenly very close to the pair. Trip placed his forefinger over his lips, casting a look about him quickly. He needn't have worried, there was no one milling around them at the moment. He should have known, T'Pol would never risk exposing their family like that. He just couldn't believe he was in Florida again. On Earth. With his Vulcan wife and half Vulcan daughter. He took a deep breath of Florida, Earth air. It may not be his home town, but it was close enough. Admiral Archer and Minister T'Pau had really come through. He was certain that he and T'Pol would have to repay it someday. He remembered the call that led to this very moment.

 _Trip answered the call quickly, having just put T'Mir down for one of her many naps. "Hey cap'n; I meant Admiral! How ya doin?" He exclaimed, seeing the face of his long-time friend. Archer was already smiling, which unsettled Trip a little._

" _How's my goddaughter doing? "Archer asked, his tone neutral. Well that was reasonable Trip thought, he hadn't seen his goddaughter yet, and she was almost three months old._

" _She's fine. I just put her down for her nap. Sorry if that's why you called, cause ya wanted to see her." Archer clasped his hands together and leaned forward._

" _Actually, that is why I called. But instead of wanting to see her on this screen, I thought that I'd like to see her in person."_

" _What, like you come and visit Vulcan?" Trip said. He knew that as an admiral, Archer had business on other worlds especially as the federation was still in its infancy. He would be happy to see Archer as well, as he was sure T'Pol would be as well. It would be nice to have some adult conversation, since they had been alone with the baby since her birth. There was only so much conversation one could make with a three-month-old. But the look on the admiral's face told another story._

" _Well, actually, I was thinking about seeing her on Earth. In Florida." Trip scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion._

" _What, T'Pol bring her?" She was still on maternity leave, and could easily take a transport that could meet up with a ship to take her to Earth. They'd have to pull some strings, but since the admiral was suggesting it, it probably wouldn't be difficult. He would miss seeing them, but at least his family would get off the planet for a vacation. The admiral scratched the back of head._

" _Actually, I was thinking the whole family." Now, Trip's mouth fell open. He felt a little bit woozy, sinking into a chair._

" _But… admiral. I didn't think that was possible."_

" _I didn't either. But then I realized I'm an admiral. And I have an admiral's ship."_

' _I guess being an admiral does come with some perks.' Trip thought to himself. But then he remembered a snag in that plan._

" _I thought it was only supposed to be used on official business of the federation? How would be picking up a dead friend and his family constitute official business?" he couldn't imagine the federation rolling with a suggestion such as that._

" _Technically it will be official business."_

" _And now you've lost me again." Archer grinned._

" _At this moment, T'Pol is meeting with Minister T'Pau, being told that she's being sent as attaché to Earth on behalf of Vulcan."_

 _Ah, that's where she had been called to this morning. She was still officially on maternity leave, as they lasted a year on Vulcan. This morning he had been angered that she had been called to work and that she went in, but now his feelings were morphing into gratitude. Amazing what just a few hours difference could make._

" _And what mission is she on?"_

" _Officially, relaying information from T'Pau, to an earth admiral." Archer grinned._

" _And unofficially?" Trip asked, feeling his heart rate race._

" _Family vacation." Archer said firmly. One more snag and they were in the clear._

" _If she's on official business, then how are you going to explain me and T'Mir being there?" Archer supplied a quick answer to this as well._

" _It's my ship. I decide the passengers. And anyway, T'Pol needs help watching her daughter when she's conducting business, especially because her daughter is so young." Trip leaned back in his chair, unbelieving._

" _I…I get to go home?" He whispered. He heard his friend chuckle._

" _Under disguise, and unofficially, but Trip Tucker finally gets to come home. Even if only for a little vacation."_

He felt a soft hand on his arm, and was brought out of his reverie. T'Pol was looking at him imploringly. He realized he had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He flushed, and started walking slowly again. "Sorry, was just thinking about when the admiral let me on the big scheme." T'Pol was following slowly behind him. "I can't believe that was only a month ago, and here we are." He looked around quickly. They had not been sent to San Francisco because of T'Pol's notoriety. She would have been spotted within five seconds by hundreds of people. Although they were in a bigger city in Florida, and she was still famous, it was less likely that they would be spotted here. Plus, he thought, the admiral knew just how much he missed his home state.

"It does not appear as how I thought it would." T'Pol said, looking around.

"What do you mean?" Trip said, turning suddenly to look at her. She looked up at him from under her hat.

"Only that in the images you have shown me, there was more greenery and what you called beaches." He had shown her images through their bond as well as actual pictures of his home town. In his quarters on _Enterprise,_ he kept a picture of himself snorkeling. T'Pol didn't know this, but he had found that picture among her things one day while he was alone in the house. He thought that all of his personal affects had been given back to his family at the time of his 'death'. Although he obviously knew that she cared for him, it was things like her keeping that picture that reminded him just how much. He couldn't take them snorkeling, since T'Mir was too little, but he could take them to the regular beach. They were in a bigger city, but that didn't mean they couldn't catch a shuttle to a beach just outside the city. Plus, he thought, looking down at the top of his daughter's head, they wouldn't have to be completely on guard all the time at the beach.

"I'll tell ya what, we get some swim trunks, and then ya and T'Mir can see the beach." He saw a quick glimmer in T'Pol's eyes before it vanished. "Don't tell me, ya already brought some?" As an answer, T'Pol reached for the diaper bag slung around Trip's shoulder. She did not pull out the swim suits completely, but did let him see the fabric as well as two towels. He put his hand on T'Mir's back as the corner of his mouth quirked. "How long have you been plannin' to put that one over on me?" T'Pol poked the belongings back into the bag.

"Since the admiral and minister brought up the prospect of visiting Earth." Trip put his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze.

'Damn, she really does love me." He thought. 'I'm one hell of a lucky man.' T'Mir was beginning to stir in her baby carrier, yawning before looking up at him with her big brown eyes. He shifted her again, pushing her up from the bottom. "Alright," he said, looking around. "All we have to do is find hail a shuttle, and off we go." He raised an eyebrow at T'Pol. "Unless ya've already arranged that?"

"I did not see the need to plan every detail of this 'vacation'." She responded.

"I'm sure it won't be difficult ta find one in a city this big."

T'Pol was watching Trip and T'Mir with veiled amusement. She would never admit it, but she felt a rush of affection whenever she watched her mate and child together. Although she had packed a swimsuit for each of them, she had settled for sitting on the beach, wearing a swim suit skirt over her legs. The beach they had chosen was full of tourists, many more than they had anticipated. They had hesitated at first. T'Mir had never been around these many strangers in her short life, and on top of that, it meant more people that could possibly identify T'Pol. Yet again, they never knew when such an opportunity would present itself again. Possibly not until T'Mir was an adult. Not that they were rushing for T'Mir to grow up. So they had moved to the far end of the beach, where there were fewer tourists.

T'Mir was in a floaty seat in shallow water, with Trip holding onto her hands. He was laughing as moved her hands back and forth, moving her seat slightly in the water. She was looking at him with wide eyes, unsure if she liked this sensation. She appeared to trust him, although she looked a bit skeptical. T'Pol had to agree with her daughter. She understood the practicality of using water to clean oneself, but did not understand humans' fascination with swimming in water. It had no use, other than to entertain oneself. She could find more useful things to do in her time. However, she thought, as she watched her family, she could almost understand why humans found time to swim. She had not seen Trip smile so widely in years. He did not think she had noticed, but ever since the birth of their daughter, he had been dejected. T'Mir's birth had brought him great joy, but also reminded him that she would never know his parents or really know Earth. Sensing her thoughts, he looked over to T'Pol.

"Ya sure ya don't want to join us?" T'Pol shook her head slightly. She was content to sit on the beach towel and watch her family in the water. Trip shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to T'Mir. T'Pol knew that it would not be long until they got out of the water, since they had already been in for thirty minutes, and T'Mir's body temperature would need to be brought up soon. She was half-human, but her body temperature was closer to a Vulcan body temperature. Speaking of which, she felt her body shiver without her consent. She picked up the sweater she had packed into the bag, and placed it around her shoulders. It had been several years since she had experienced Earth temperatures, and her body was having a slight difficulty adjusting to the colder temperatures. She could feel Trip's contentment at being back in this environment. Although he had adjusted well to Vulcan's heat, she knew that he would prefer to back in a temperature his body could handle. She had always found it curious that although he grew up in a warmer environment, he had always had trouble with deserts and high temperatures. Perhaps it was because he had access to these bodies of waters to cool his body temperature. Trip sighed from the water.

"I guess T'Mir's done." He called, pulling their daughter out of her seat. She seemed to be nodding off, her head beginning to slump of his shoulder. "I guess she doesn't like swimming as much as her daddy." He said, walking out of the water and pulling the flotation device behind them. T'Pol reached her arms out for their daughter as he reached the end of her towel.

"I can watch her, if you wish to swim some more." She said, T'Mir nuzzling into her elbow.

"Ya sure?" Trip asked, sounding unconvinced. T'Pol held their daughter tightly against her. She knew that he wasn't suggesting that she could not take care of their daughter, but somewhere deep inside that statement stung. She stamped down the feeling before replying.

"Of course. I can watch our daughter while you enjoy a swim. It is not clear when you will have such a chance again." Trip nodded sadly, kissed the top of her head and T'Mir's, and ran back into water. When he had reached waist depth, he began to swim fully. The water had markers of depth, so T'Pol knew that he wouldn't go too far. She looked down at her sleeping daughter. For now, it was not uncommon for T'Mir to rest in her arms. Within the year however; it was expected that a Vulcan child would touch their parents less frequently, eventually leading to not touching a parent at all. The problem with T'Mir following these expectations was that she was not just a Vulcan child. She was also a human child. Human children were needier than Vulcan children, and human parents were more likely to fulfill this neediness. She had already observed Trip picking up their daughter more often than was necessary. T'Pol pushed aside a part of T'Mir's bonnet that was covering her ears, and gently caressed one pointed ear. This was always a reminder to her that T'Mir was not only Vulcan, but also human. Her ears were not rounded like her father's, but not fully pointed as her mother's either. They rounded at the pointed tip. She and Trip had discussed parenting, of course, but as T'Mir grew, it would become more and more difficult to ascertain what to do in the moment. She was certain there were would be many fights about how to raise their daughter. T'Mir smiled in her sleep, nuzzling more into T'Pol's elbow. For now, they could let it be. But as she grew, she would need to learn to control her emotions. Perhaps she should have talked to the T'Pol from the other _Enterprise_ they met many years ago. She looked up from T'Mir, her eyes blanking as she looked over the water.

When the embryo had survived and been inseminated, she had wondered if perhaps the fetus that would develop would be Lorian. It was a ridiculous assumption, but the emotions she had always denied could not be stamped down at the idea. At the time of they met him, she and Trip had not admitted a relationship between the two of them, and his presence was a painful reminder of what she could never have. Now, she wondered what he had been like as a child and teenager. Had she and Trip fought over his upbringing as well? Did Lorian have emotional outbursts? Older T'Pol had told her that Lorian tried to find a balance, but that his human side often made him emotional. She regretted not asking older T'Pol how life had proceeded. She never believed that she and Trip would reach that point, and had seen such a request as unnecessary.

Trip was now completing his third lap in the water, and she could sense that he was fatigued. She knew that he, too, had thought that perhaps this child would be Lorian. She also knew that he held out hope that they would attempt to have another child. Although T'Mir was only three months old, she too, had wondered. Not based on an emotional response, but that if they did have another child in seven years, Trip would be almost sixty. They could wait past the next seven years, not if Trip wanted to see his children to adulthood. Phlox had already contacted them about this future prospect. He said that while T'Mir is healthy, it might do them well to take several years to develop a less sloppy method of insemination. She agreed, without the promise of going through with another attempt. Getting pregnant with T'Mir had caused Trip distress, a situation she was not certain they wanted to go through again. If Phlox was proposing a less difficult method it would make it less distressing for her mate, which led to less distress for her. Besides this, becoming an attaché for T'Pau meant that her career may take off again. She could not have a child in the middle of a mission. She needed to be with her children, although Trip was going to be with them often. Speaking of which, Trip was practically dragging himself out of the water.

He plopped down next to her, out of breath. "Damn." "I keep." "Forgetting" "I'm" "Getting" "Old". He got out in short spurts. He was laying on his back on a towel. T'Pol raised her eyebrows.

"You are not old. According to Vulcan standards." T'Pol said. Trip sat up slowly, to glare at her.

"Yeah, yeah." He said, standing up and grabbing a towel to dry himself off. "So, what time is the admiral expecting us?" He said, drying his hair with the towel quickly.

"19:00 hours." That still gave the family three hours to get back to their room and get changed.

"Do ya think that T'Mir is ready to meet Uncle Jon?" Trip said, leaning down and gently rubbing the top of her head.

"Do you believe that the admiral will act inappropriately with her?" T'Pol could not see the admiral acting inappropriately with T'Mir. Even with species he had never met before, he was polite and often gained their trust quickly.

"Nah." Trip shook his head. "He just hasn't dealt with many babies."

"I see."

"So…, how are things?" Archer said, bringing his fork to his mouth. The family had arrived only forty-five minutes ago, and they were now sitting down for dinner. Being an admiral had its advantages, such as nice apartments to rent in different cities. Privacy was also a luxury, at least in regards to personal meetings. Archer had simply told his staff to leave for the night, and after some protesting, they agreed. But they wouldn't be far away.

"Well ya know. The baby doesn't always like to sleep." Trip replied, taking a sip of wine. Archer chuckled, looking down at his sleeping goddaughter. She was sleeping between Trip and T'Pol in her baby seat.

"She seems to be sleeping fine, now." Archer said.

"Which just means she won't be when we really want her to." Trip said, chancing a look at his daughter. "Besides, don't all new parents not get a lot of sleep?" he chuckled.

"I wouldn't know." Archer said, the jovial tone in the room now being sucked out. They all looked at their plates and ate in silence. Archer was married to the job. It seemed that if you wanted to advance in Star Fleet, the ship was you first love, and having a family was not an option. It seemed to be one or the other. As evident from the occupants of the room. "What about you, T'Pol? Being a diplomat is the first step to becoming an ambassador, you know." T'Pol looked up from her plate, her eyes wide.

"It has occurred to me, admiral." She said quietly.

"But not until the kids are older, right?" Trip said, putting his fork down next to his plate.

"Kids?" Archer asked, surprised. Were they hiding a second child under the table? He resisted the urge to make a gesture of looking under the table.

"I believe he means T'Mir and any future children." T'Pol replied, causing Trip to flush. "I do wish to wait to become an ambassador until T'Mir is old enough to not need my presence."

"So, what. A year?" Trip nearly spit out.

'Damn it.' Archer thought to himself. He should have kept his mouth shut. Now this was turning into the most uncomfortable dinner he'd ever had. He'd thought diplomatic dinners were the most uncomfortable he'd ever been through, but he was dead, dead wrong. He really knew how to put his foot in his mouth. T'Pol and Trip were staring at their plates what he could only describe as poorly hidden anger. Archer needed to change the subject, and change it quickly. He wracked his brains. "So, have you been keeping up with water polo?" he asked Trip. Trip looked up, clearly confused. 'Goddamn it.' He thought to himself. Well, it was better than nothing. He pushed on, ignoring any remnants of their previous conversation.

T'Mir was finally down for the night, and Trip threw himself tiredly on the couch in the hotel room. What a day. Ups and downs. Why'd Jon have to go and bring up T'Pol being an ambassador like that? Didn't he know what a sore subject that was? T'Pol was gonna go and make a difference again, and he was just gonna be a stay at home daddy. A far cry from what he thought his life was gonna turn out as. He sure loved his little girl, but once she was old enough to go to school, he'd be alone in the house. Being a puppy dog waiting for his master to come home.

T'Pol stood at the doorframe, looking uncertain that if she entered the room, he'd burst into anger. He motioned for her to enter, sitting up. She did so, cautiously. She perched herself on the coffee table in front of him.

"Trip…" she began. He cut her off.

"Look, I know that ya becoming an ambassador is inevitable. I just didn't think it'd be so soon." He looked down, embarrassed. "And I know it's not about me, but it makes me feel so inferior." He felt a soft hand on his knee.

"Trip, I have talked to the minister. And she has agreed, that it is time for me move on from teaching at the academy." Trip looked up quickly, but T'Pol continued on. "However; we have agreed that I am not ready to become an ambassador. In order to become ready, the Minister may send me on several diplomatic missions." Trip let out a breath. Well, at least she wouldn't be gone for a long time, yet. But she would be gone on missions.

"How long will your family be without you?" he asked.

"It will depend on the mission." She answered truthfully. "Although, the minister has agreed that some missions may require an engineer." She internally smiled at the glint in his eye.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that, on occasion, a certain engineer and child may accompany me on missions." Trip raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously?"

"I said, on occasion." Trip nearly whooped loudly, before putting his hand over his mouth. T'Pol hesitated at this next part.

"I have also made certain, that this process will take many years. Perhaps seven years." Trip did not need her to explain her meaning. He pulled her in for a hug. They had seven years to figure out this messy situation of raising kids, her being a diplomat/ambassador, and whatever the universe threw their way.

"Ya are amazing, ya know that?" T'Pol did not move out of his embrace, but he felt her affirmation that she did, indeed know that she was 'amazing'. He held her tighter against him. He was so damn proud of her. And damn, he really, really loved her. And by god, she loved him too. Some days he was surprised by just how much she loved him.

A/N: I wanted them to get off the damn planet of Vulcan, and T'Pol does eventually become an ambassador, according to the books. Drop me a review and tell me what you think!


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